Rise of the Fallen
by CloudySunny
Summary: Her home village has been destroyed by misplaced hate and lies, taking with it close friends and family. Now a broken shell of the ninja she use to be, Sakura struggles to find the will to return to her friends and save her home or leave her ninja life behind. She is thrown into the hands of the Mugiwara crew, but can Sakura trust them enough and herself to complete her mission?
1. Live

_I am not the greatest writer but I do strife to be one. I struggle a lot to get a good story going, which is why this story took me ages to finally put up. I deleted my account years ago when I first started my Naruto/One Piece story. It was so bad that I spent such a long time trying to find a good story to make out of it. With stories like Naruto and One Piece I try to make something that wouldn't be like an insult to their creators. My first story was definitely worse than insult...ugh it was so rough. But looking at what I have now, I think I can be happy with it and hope you can as well. I put a hell of a lot more effort into this story than I did the other and can't wait to see what happens with it in the future. Hopefully, you'll still be there to stick around and see it through with me. _

_Thanks for stopping by. _

_I hope you enjoy. _

* * *

_Chapter 1: Prologue_

_"Live"_

The sound of footsteps were seemingly non-existent as three figures broke through the forest line. They could have been mistaken as children for their babyish face and slim physique, but in their home, they were more than that. They were ninjas. Cold blooded fighting machines with the strength and fighting capabilities that not many people have been able to master. But as ninjas, even at their young age, they were forced to fight to the death no matter the situation. And at this moment, Sakura Haruno, was nearly at the brink of witnessing death first hand. Clutched in her teammates arms, she can feel her blood seeping from her own stomach. No matter how hard he tried, the blonde boy couldn't seem to control the flowing. His cerulean eyes gazed worriedly down at her pale face as he gently tugged her closer. It didn't matter that his arms were starting to grow numb, he would carry his teammate forever if he needed to.

"I'm okay, Naruto." Sakura whispered, sensing his fierce protectiveness for her.

Naruto Uzumaki unconsciously began to hold her tighter. "But you're bleeding so much!"

"I'm okay." She nearly shouted but forced her voice into a loud whisper. They were still hiding and the last thing they needed was to give away their location. Judging from the glare her other teammate was giving her, he was thinking the same thing.

They were at war, and even though they were caught off guard, they still needed to react efficiently. Which meant no more risks or they could all end up dead.

Sakura's emerald eyes looked up and into Naruto's.

She distinctly realized they refused to stare back at her and her scowl softened. Her small hand, damp with blood, weakly rose to rub against the whiskers tattooed to his face. The other boy gave a distressed whine, finally flicking his eyes down to look at her.

"I can't die from something like this." She said, "We're stronger than this, right?"

The spiky haired blonde didn't answer but Sakura could tell that he was more determined to protect her now more than ever. He wasn't over her brash actions but he was slowly beginning to let it go for now. That, however, didn't go the same for their quieter teammate who was still sending a side ways glare at Sakura.

"Naruto's right, Sakura."

The pink haired girl flinched slightly in Naruto's arms. There were only two times that her teammate ever said her name; in times of great stress or when he was extremely pissed at her. Sakura guessed this case had to have bee about the latter. She intently waited for the verbal beat down she was going to receive.

"You could have been killed." The raven haired boy growled. The two lighter haired teens flinched at his tone but it was Naruto that was quick to retaliate.

"She was only trying to help that poor girl, Sasuke."

Sasuke Uchiha's glare seemed to intensify as his eyes blazed red. "We don't have time to be sympathetic. Or did you all forget that we are at war!? The only people we can worry about are ourselves from here on out. Understand?"

Silence was the only answer Sasuke received. Though, if they thought about it, that was probably the best response he could have gotten.

In the mixture of all the confusion andd chaos, Sakura and her teammates had entered the front lines of their country's war. Nearly seconds into the battle they lost dozens of their comrades and friends to the enemy. People Sakura had grown up with and thought she would never lose were one-by-one picked off like flies. And the worst part of it all, they had been separated from their command leader and without him they were at a loss for their next steps. The longer he stayed missing, the more likely chance he was dead rather than alive. It was a terrible thought but it was the only logical answer they could come up with in all the madness. Besides, if they didn't make a decision on their own, they would only receive the same fate.

Suddenly, Sasuke paused from his position slightly ahead of the other two. His scarlet eyes began to scan the area. Naruto and Sakura already knew from experience what that stare could possible mean.

They were too late. Someone had finally found them. Naruto stopped a few paces in front of Sasuke but still close enough to protect his flank. Sakura was just staring at something in the darkness when she felt and saw Naruto flinch.

"Did you hear that?" Sasuke said, glancing at Naruto from the corner of his eye.

The blonde boy nodded, eyes narrowing at something behind them. Sakura noticed it was coming from the same direction they just arrived from. If she was correct, then they had been followed from the battle they barely managed to escape from. There were a few ninja, possibly hundreds, they were forced to face against. There was no telling how many managed to follow them. Using what little chakra she had left, Sakura lifted herself from Naruto's arms and squeezed her chakra powered hand to patch her wound. Sasuke wrenched her hand away before it managed to heal completely.

"Conserve your chakra!"

"I won't be much help of you if I hadn't used it, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke pursed his lips in anger. He knew she was right but that didn't make the situation any better. He turned away from her but not before taking charge of her left flank as Naruto took her other side. From behind her two teammates, Sakura could only smile as confidence began to swell in her chest.

They could do this! As long as she had the two of them, Sakura knew she could do anything. Maybe even take back their lost village hidden in the leaves.

At least that's what she thought would happen.

"Sasuke!"

Sakura gave an ear piercing wail as Sasuke wrenched her into his arms, using his body to protect her from the barrage of kunai thrown at her. The boy gave a grunt, his blood gurgling in his throat as he clutched her closer. Sakura scrambled for him to release her but his grip only intensified.

"Let me go! Let me go!" She cried. "I can heal you, please!"

Sasuke shook his head from where it was buried in her hair. Sakura couldn't tell if he was smelling her hair or too tired to hold himself up right. She pushed the thought from her head in order to wrap her own arms around him and lift them both from another onslaught of knives. She leapt through the air, a few blades suddenly slicing across her. Sakura quickly ignored it. Sasuke had suffered way more damage than she had and there was no telling what level of danger Naruto was in. They had long been separated when Naruto decided to take on two ninjas earlier on in the battle.

Sakura pumped chakra into her feet the moment her jump lead her into a tree's canopy. She blazed from branch to branch, dodging the kunai and shuriken from below. Unfortunately, she had to go on the defense now that Sasuke was pretty much out of commission. She had to find Naruto, they had to regroup or they would be picked off one by one. Sakura opened her mouth to call out to her friend when something suddenly whizzed in front of her face, embedding itself in the tree she stepped onto. Sakura saw that it was a kunai, one that had barely missed her face, but nothing more.

Ssss...

That's when she noticed the explosive tag hanging at the end of the blade.

Sakura didn't have enough time to get away from it but she knew she wasn't going to let Sasuke suffer anymore pain. She twisted her body just in time for the tag to explode, sending her far across the forest and into a pair of shrubs. There was a high pitched ringing in her ear by the time Sakura managed to come to. Her body ached and protested as she tried to lift her head and look at her surroundings. A voice in the back of her mind was screaming that Sasuke was gone, not in her arms like he had been before the explosion. Even though she knew this startling fact, her body didn't act the way she wanted it to. She struggled as tears clouded her vision.

Was this how it all ended?

Green eyes frantically looked around the clearing, searching for any sign that would lead her to her teammates, her friends, her family...

"Fuck off..."

The ninja looked up at the sound of Naruto's voice. He was alive! A small hopeful smile slowly began to creep on her face as she tried to turn in the direction she heard him. But as quickly as she spotted the blonde boy, her heart dropped into her stomach and fear filled her emerald eyes. Laying in what seemed to be a small clearing under the canopy's shadow was her battered teammate.

The sleeves to his jumpsuit were scorched on one side, revealing black and burned skin. Sakura couldn't see his face from afar but she could see the large amounts of blood dripping down his pale chin. Sakura bit her lip to the point it bled. _This was not good._

Two figures were watching Naruto from beneath the shadow's of the trees. Their faces were hidden in the darkness, making it hard for Sakura to identify them.

"Look what I found." Sakura nearly choked as her entire body stiffened. That voice was so close.

The fear of getting caught nearly suffocated her as she squeezed her eyes shut just, a ninja appeared a few feet away from her. His headband was blocked from around his waist as he held Sasuke's limp body out in front of him. Sakura couldn't even find the strength to cry out as her grief sucked the breath out of her lungs. Sasuke's eyes were closed and his skin looked like white paper.

The ninja holding Sasuke stepped forward to dump his body near Naruto's. The blonde didn't even bother to look at his teammate's still form.

"Where is she?" A ninja asked from the shadows.

"Where's who?"

Sasuke's escort slapped the blonde across the head. "Don't play stupid. Where's the pink haired bitch?"

Before Naruto had the chance to answer, Sasuke's body gave a violent shake as he coughed up blood at Naruto's feet. _He's alive! _Tears of relief sprung at Sakura's eyes.

"You'll never find her." He croaked.

"Oh, playing the hero are we?"

Naruto weakly lifted his head up and glared at the ninja. Despite how frail and weak he looked in the center of the clearing, bloody and battered, his blue eyes looked as strong as a burning flame. Sakura could tell the ninja looked slightly intimidated. Sasuke's glare didn't look any weaker without the red bleeding into his obsidian eyes. "We'll always protect, Sakura-chan."

"But she can't protect you, can she?"

The ninja lifted his hand and Sakura instinctively turned away as two loud thuds echoed in the forest. Her throat constricted and suddenly Sakura couldn't feel her body any longer. But that was the last of her problems, her friends were dead. Naruto and Sasuke, she would never see them again. Those few words repeated itself in Sakura's mind as her limbs lit on fire. Her head swayed and just as she was going to let out a moan of confusion, a hand wrapped itself around her mouth. She gave a slightly miffed noise and gazed up at her attacker.

To her surprise, she saw Naruto and Sasuke leaning over her. She wriggled in surprise, trying to make Naruto move his hand from around her mouth but he only shushed her.

"Quiet Sakura-chan!" He hissed with a smile. "Are you trying to get caught?"

From her other side, Sasuke shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "Idiot."

Tears streamed down her eyes even more but Sakura knew they were tears of happiness. But she was still confused as to how they were here and not in the clearing with the other unknown ninja. The only logical explanation could have been.

"Clones." She whispered. "You used substitution clones."

Sasuke and Naruto didn't answer as they scrambled to get the girl to her feet. Sakura grunted when a sharp pain stabbed through her stomach, she glanced down and noticed the wound she tried to heal earlier had reopened. Sasuke was the first to notice, "I should have let you heal it better." He said, avoiding her eyes as two boys lead her forward.

"It's okay." Sakura said. "If you had let me, I wouldn't have been able to fight with you like I did."

Sasuke didn't say anything and they continued their trudge forward. For awhile, Sakura thought they could actually make it in the clear and possibly find some sort of shelter. She should have realized she was only avoiding the inevitable. Even with her chakra so low, Sakura could still sense three chakra sources making their way quickly towards them.

"Can you run?" Naruto asked her.

Sakura nodded. "I can make it but we can't possibly run forever."

"Don't worry." The blonde smiled at her. "We can do this."

With a nod and a smile of her own, Sakura followed the blonde into the shadows, not realizing that Sasuke had disappeared from her side. Naruto decided to lead her into the trees, using the branches to catapult him forward with ease. Sakura found herself struggling to keep up and weakly reached out to him, barely missing a kunai and some other weapons to her torso.

"N-Naruto." She called. "I-I can't go that fast."

However, the blonde didn't seem to be able to hear her and continued on unfazed. That was when Sakura finally noticed Sasuke was gone and glanced around to look for him.

"Naruto where's Sasuke-kun?" But as she looked up to stare at the blonde for an answer, he was nowhere to be found. Sakura's pink hair whipped around her as she frantically looked around in the darkness. She was completely alone.

"She's gone crazy."

Or she thought she was.

A few branches deeper into a tree's canopy were one of the three ninja that had attacked her team earlier. Only one ninja caught her attention as he was the closest to her. His dark hair was spikey and pointed in every direction, his grinning face struck an irritating nerve in Sakura. He shook his head at her as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I mean, she has to be." He said, "I know I saw her walking away after we killed her little friends."

Sakura smirked. They still didn't know the Naruto and Sasuke they saw were just clones. She figured her two teammates must have been hiding from somewhere they could attack unexpectedly. From above her, a girl with long black hair tied with a white bow moved closer from her spot a few trees away from Sakura. The girl glared at the spikey haired boy.

"If you saw her, why didn't you just kill her?" She sighed with a roll of her eyes. "I'm so sick of all this chasing."

"Where's the fun in that!?"

Before the girl could start a screaming match, another ninja appeared at her side. She instantly grew quiet as he glared between the two of them. "Knock it off. Just kill her so we can get out of here."

That seemed to be the deal changer and soon Sakura had two different blades aimed at her. Sakura knew they could easily kill her with one blow.

Sakura didn't think she had the speed now to deflect them nor the ability to get back up should their blades strike their target. The girl racked her mind restlessly for a solution when she noticed something at the corner of her eye. Waving his arms enthusiastically to gain her attention was Naruto, bright smile and happy eyes once she finally noticed him. Without even thinking Sakura jumped to join him on the ground, barely missing the two knives. She landed wobbly on her feet but by the time she looked up to speak to Naruto, she found Sasuke in his place. The raven haired boy smirked at her confused face and grabbed her arm before running off in the darkness.

"What is going on?" Sakura said through gritted teeth, the pain in her stomach almost unbearable. "Where is Naruto?"

Sasuke shrugged much to Sakura's annoyance. "Don't worry, he's fine."

The way he left such a short answer had Sakura suspicious, but Sasuke would never do anything to lie to or hurt her. She just didn't like how they were running around without each other. It was dangerous being alone at this point but they were brushing it off as nothing! Sakura wanted to argue, shout all her confusion and grief, but Sasuke's warm hand in her's kept her grounded.

It was almost as if he was sucking it all away from her. The thought was comforting but it didn't do anything to stop the blood rushing from her stomach and in between her fingers. The more she ran, the harder it became to stay focused or even see in front of her. Sasuke was slowly becoming a blur until he just completely disappeared from sight. If it weren't for him holding her, she would have thought she had been running alone.

"We're not gonna make it out of this are we?"

Sasuke didn't even falter. "Of course you will."

Sakura looked up, pink brow quirked. "Don't you mean 'we'?"

"No." Sakura couldn't help her scream of surprise when Naruto suddenly appeared beside her, that contagious smile on his face. "Just you."

Suddenly, they both stopped running. Sakura tried to follow their lead and plant her feet in the dirt to stop, but all the running and the blood draining from her body made her too weak to react fast enough. It became an even bigger surprise when she realized she was heading straight down a steep hill. Her instincts screamed at her to latch on to Sasuke's hand but he let her go just as gravity began to drag her down. Sakura craned her neck to look up at her teammates through her tears. They continued to stand at the top of the hill, not even bothering to reach out for her or help her in her descent.

However, she did notice they were smiling.

Eventually, Sakura's body collided to the ground and she went tumbling down the hill. It felt like hours had passed as she continued to roll. Bushes and branches scratched against her until she finally landed with a thump at the base of the hill. From there she couldn't even see the top of the hill anymore, the forest wildlife made it too difficult to see where she last saw her friends.

"Oh my god." A voice from beside Sakura made her jump in surprise. A masked man with spiky white hair was standing only a few feet from Sakura. It looked like he had been through a few battles himself judging from the scratches and bruises along every piece of skin she could see. Sakura's heart leapt for joy once she finally realized who it was.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried and the man ran forward, wrapping his arms around here in a bone crushing hug. She knew Sasuke and Naruto would be excited to see him again like she was. Sakura voiced this much to him but he suddenly went stiff.

"Sensei?" Sakura quirked a brow at him as the man continued to stay frozen. "What's wrong?"

She put a hand on his chest to get his attention but gasped when she felt something warm on her hand. She pulled her hand back, finding it red and dripping with blood. However, Kakashi didn't look like he was hurt. He seemed fine, in fact. Despite the strange looking he was giving her.

"Sakura..."He said."Did you not see them?"

For a moment, Sakura was confused, enraptured by the large amount of blood on her sensei's chest, but she snapped out of it. "I did! They're at the top of that hill, they just lead me here but-"

"Sakura." Kakashi Hatake interrupted her. "Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto are gone."

"What?" Sakura twitched, her mind not being able to comprehend. "What do you mean gone? I just saw them!"

The silver haired man just shook his head but refused to meet her eyes. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her like Naruto and Sasuke had done many times to her before. "I may have lost them, but I won't let them take you."

The older man stood and folded his fingers into position as he drew a symbol in the dirt in front of Sakura. The pink haired girl instantly noticed the jutsu and tried to react but her energy was completely depleted. The blood running down her stomach was now gushing out of her at an alarming rate.

"Sensei," She whimpered. "Don't do this."

"I won't let you die here." Kakashi shouted, Sakura faintly worried that someone would hear. Those ninja weren't too far behind her. Surely, they will catch up to them. "I'll die before I let them get to you too."

"I can still fight! Aren't we still a team?"

"What team, Sakura?!"

The pink haired girl didn't know how to answer that. Even though they had been separated why didn't their own commander still see them as a team? Was he quitting on them? Was he leaving them when they clearly needed him the most?

Kakashi continued as she grew quiet. "I'll use enough chakra to transport you some place you will be safe. You can still live Sakura, some place where you can be happy and be rid of this war."

"I don't want to leave!"

Sakura gasped as the symbol in front of her began to glow as it was charged with chakra. The glow became a flashing light the closer it got to its completion. Kakashi smiled down softly at his only female student. She looked back up at him, tears in her eyes that he will never be proud to be the cause of. However, he knew this was for the best.

"Live, Sakura."

And in a flash of lightning, she disappeared.

* * *

_Ehhh, I don't really know how I feel about this chapter. I've probably rewritten it dozens of times but something about it just irked me. I told my roommate about it and she just told me I was being paranoid. So, hopefully, it wasn't too bad. _

_Anyway, I decided to make the first chapter pretty much like a Prologue because I thought it would be easier to understand the story this way. Though, there may be a few confusing spots, I assure you they will be explained in later chapters. It's no fun putting everything out there on the first chapter, you know? I don't really know when everything will be exactly explained, especially since I don't know whether or not I want Sakura to join the crew or not? I'm stuck between ending the story a few chapters in as Sakura doesn't join them or keeping it going along with the original storyline so Sakura does join them. But that worries me! Ugh, I don't know. Maybe I'll put a poll up or something._

_WELL, you made it through the first chapter! The next one will be up fairly soon, I was already working on it at the same time I was working on the Prologue. That is also pretty length so you'll get a good read. I hope you enjoyed and please leave a review, they are always appreciated!_


	2. Lost and Found

_Thanks so much to that first reviewer. It was a pick-me-up that I really needed to see this grueling week. _

_Anyway, you're back again so I must have done something right...or is your boredom deceiving me?_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

_Chapter 2:_

_Lost and Found_

**ONE YEAR LATER...**

Now that they were venturing on the Grand Line, Luffy and his crew were subject to many strange encounters. They befriended a whale and the man living inside of it, fought countless Sea Kings, and even had a talking reindeer join their crew as their doctor. By now this crew shouldn't be surprised by anything that might be thrown their way. But the crew was never expecting how they were going to meet their newest guest.

Monkey D. Luffy , captain to the Mugiwara Pirates, had always enjoyed his seat on top of the Merry Go's lamb head. It was special and there was no other seat like it anywhere on the ship, so he claimed it as his. Luffy could spend hours on top of that lamb's head and usually he was able to find something to spark his interest. Today, served to be the same like every other day when he noticed a flock of birds surrounding something in the water. Usopp, Luffy's star sharp shooter instantly took notice to what managed to collect his captain's interest and leaned over to him.

"What is it?"

"No clue!" Luffy shouted, earning looks from the other members of his crew. "Let's find out!"

With a stretch of his arm, the straw hat boy extended his hand in between the squawking birds. He got a jolt of pain when the birds began to peck and nip at his arm for trying to take their object of interest. Luffy gasped in surprise and yanked his hand back, taking whatever he could grab out of the water and high into the air. As his hand began to retract the rest of the crew tried to figure out what the object was their captain found.

"Maybe it's food."

"Don't you think it's kind of big?"

"Wait a minute." Nami said, the navigator stepping slightly closer to the ship's railing in order to get a look at the strange object. "Is that a..."

The figure was getting closer, becoming more defined in it's shape until it clearly could be recognized as a human body. Flowing hair practically covered the person's body but it was obvious from the curve of the hips and the tiny frame the object they found was a..

"A girl!?" Luffy cried and quickly swung his arm so that she didn't crash land into the ship's wooden floor. Unfortunately, that tugged the girl straight into the captain's chest, sending them both into the large mast with a loud crash. The pirate crew quickly reacted after seeing their captain hit the pillar, though their main concern only seemed to be the girl.

"Whoa." Nami shuddered, as she got closer to the strange girl. "All those wounds."

"She looks like she's been through a grater." Zoro said, earning a swift kick in the face from their blonde chef, Sanji.

"You've got a lot of nerve saying that about a lady!"

"Oh shut up, you perverted cook."

"Hey, knock it off." Usopp grumbled, rolling his eyes at his nakama. "What are we going to do about her?"

Chopper, the furry doctor of the Mugiwara crew, pushed his way through the crowd of people in order to stand beside the girl. She hadn't moved an inch from where she lay in Luffy's lap. Her long hair was a matted mess clinging to all the blood and dirt caked on to her pale skin. The clothes she wore were torn in many areas, nearly revealing the plump of her breasts and the dipped 'V' of her hips. Judging from Sanji's love struck face, Chopper wasn't the only one who had noticed.

"Who could possibly do something so terrible?" Nami leaned down beside her captain and sat on her shins. She pulled the girl from Luffy's lap and maneuvered her so Chopper could have better access to her wounds. The navigator lead the girl's head to her lap, where she gently placed her matted hair away from her face. Once her fingers pressed against her forehead, Nami gave a gasp.

"She has a fever!"

Chopper nodded without stopping at his work. "She must have got from floating in that water. There's no telling how long she was in there."

The reindeer pulled the girl's shirt up slightly when he noticed a strange mound of skin was different than the rest. It was obviously a wound in her abdomen, but it looked as if it had been closed up. Luffy quirked a brow at what his doctor was so focused on.

"What is that?"

"It's a filling." Chopper said, inspecting the wound a little closer. "And a really well made one at that."

"What does it do?" Usopp asked, expecting Chopper to answer, but it was Zoro that spoke up.

"Helps close a wound in a hurry. Stops the bleeding so the person can keep moving." Zoro crossed his arms over his chest. "Soldiers use them to keep fighting when in battle."

"Unfortunately, it stops the wound from healing and makes it more prone for infection." Chopper chimed in. Maybe his diagnosis was wrong and this girl was dealing with a viral infection. He needed to get her quickly into the meeting room where he had his medical equipment. He voiced his opinions to the crew and after getting his captain's permission, ordered Usopp to bring the girl to his quarters. Though the sniper grumbled about it, Usopp carried the frail girl up the stairs and into the kitchen as the doctor ordered. The rest of the crew watched them leave, muttering to themselves about their latest find.

* * *

_A calloused hand was reaching out to her in the distance, nearly masked by clouds of smoke as a hoarse voice screamed her name. Explosions went off left and right and something warm splattered across her face. She pressed a trembling hand into the mess, getting a strange feeling when she noticed it was blood. Something inside of her told her she should be afraid, worried, but not because it was her blood. But someone else's. The need to run seemed to intensify the heavier the smoke became but she was frozen still on her knees. _

_She needed to get away before they got her too, but she couldn't move, no matter how much she wanted to._

_Why?_

_**WHY?**_

_There was a cry and Sakura turned her back to the person reaching out to her. From behind her she could see the chaos they had all been trying to escape from. Men and women of all ages rallied against each other. They jumped and flew through the air, knocking their fists and feet into one another, until the other went down. Kunai and shuriken zipped through the air, hitting their targets dead on and splattering more blood after contact. _

_Sakura's stomach rumbled distastefully at all the blood and gore but she couldn't find herself able to turn away. She was broken from her reverie by something warm but damp dropping into her lap. She snapped her head around and found a familiar blonde haired boy resting across her legs. She pressed her hand into the body, moving it until the person was on their back. A horrid scream left her mouth the moment she recognized her beloved teammate Naruto lying dead in her presence. His lifeless blue eyes staring at the sky. _

_The sound of clanging metal and grunts of pain caught her attention and she looked away from the blonde. She vaguely noticed that same person, still unrecognizable due to the distance, was still reaching out to her as he ran straight through the middle of more fighting. The only thing that caught her attention the most was that Naruto, her seemingly dead teammate, was now in front of her standing amongst the chaotic war._

_Confused Sakura turned her attention back to the blonde in her lap. He still hadn't moved but they were the same person. But when she looked back up, she saw another ninja standing a foot or two from Naruto's side. Meanwhile, the figure in the distance was getting closer, grey hair and a mask becoming more evident. _

_Sakura realized the boy standing near Naruto was their other teammate, Sasuke. The two of them continued to stand from afar as if there wasn't a war going on right in front of them. Yet, there seemed to be no one paying attention to them. _

_Sakura looked down when something pressed against her thigh. She didn't even bother to hold back her surprise as she found Sasuke's lifeless body near Naruto's doppelganger, his dark eyes staring into the distance behind her._

_There was another shout and suddenly Kakashi is in her face, screaming at her, but she can't seem to hear what he is saying. Everything has gone deathly silent. Explosions erupt from all around them, but Kakashi and Sakura seem to be the only ones to acknowledge it. The other Sasuke and Naruto continue to stand there completely unfazed while their clones stay motionless at her lap. Why are they still standing there? Why didn't Kakashi get them when he ran past?_

_Why?_

**_WHY?_**

_Kakashi suddenly stands and his hands blur in a flurry of movement. Sakura doesn't react the same way she did the last time she saw those hand signs. Instead, she tries to reach out to her teammates standing in the center of the battle field. She needs to take them with her if they ever want to escape together._

_She tries to move but the two bodies on top of her are weighing her down much more than before. _

_"Live, Sakura." Kakashi says but she frantically shakes her head in denial. __The pink haired ninja looks down to push her teammates' copies off her lap when she notices they are staring at her. _

_Blue and black eyes void of life practically bore into her soul. __"Live, Sakura." They say. _

_Sakura snaps her head up again, surprised to see her two teammates that were just a few feet away, were now standing at either side of Kakashi. However, the man didn't seem to see them or at least acknowledge them. These two, however, were frowning at her, the life still radiating in their eyes but oddly different. _

_"Live, Sakura."_

Eventually, she awakes with a small but unnoticeable jolt. It takes her several moments to realize that her vision has gone blurry and her body is slightly too overheated to be normal. She turns her head, flinches through the headache it gives her, and tries to take in her surroundings. Her vision clears and she can finally see she's in some kind of room. It's tiny but not too uncomfortable for her to handle. However, she can't remember being in this room before she blacked out. Then, a flurry of memories come back to her as she tries to remember.

_Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi...they're waiting for her to come back._

Just as she is about to move and escape the room, she realizes she is not alone. At her side, though they have their back to her, is a tiny furry creature wearing a pink hat and a skinny man with curly dark hair. The man is fussing over something on the table, grumbling something under his breath as he does so, while the creature sniffs something at the table. They seem harmless to Sakura, until she sees the collection of knives and different sized blades at the man's side. Instinct tells her she should fear the most and react before they can do something.

Sakura glances at the door not too far from where she was laying. If she guesses right, there's probably more people standing outside that door. She knows she can't assume they'll just let her go if she asks. She has to have some sort of incentive to get her way. Her emerald eyes return to the creature and the tiny man, just in time for her and the man to lock eyes.

It's almost as if time has frozen between them as they stare at each other. Then the creature looks up, makes a little noise at the man, and turns his head to see what suddenly has his attention. Suddenly, time has picked up for Sakura and she quickly reacts as the little raccoon thing begins to jump to its feet. She kicks the thing to the feet and swoops around to grab the skinny man just as he let out a piercing shriek.

* * *

Nami gave a confused groan as they all climbed the stairs towards the kitchen. "She looked like she had been through hell."

"Or worse," Zoro added. "Those don't look like a normal blade cut her."

Sanji gritted his teeth in annoyance, "Who would do such a thing to a lady!"

The Mugiwara crew, minus Usopp and Chopper, were nearly half way up the steps when they heard a loud crash come from the kitchen. However, they couldn't tell who was the owner of the high pitched scream that followed right after. The teens raced up the steps as the noises suddenly got louder, worried for the safety of their friends.

Luffy was the first to kick the door open and burst into the kitchen, fists raised for a fight. He, probably like the rest of his crew, were confused to see Usopp had himself in a tight head lock by the pink haired girl they had saved from the sea. And under her right foot, keeping him firmly in place on the floor, was Chopper.

"What are you doing to my nakama!?" Luffy shouted.

The smaller girl, shaking with a mixture of fatigue, fear and the wet clothes clinging to her, glared at the rubber captain. Determination and panic reflected in her emerald eyes as she glared at the strange faces around her. Reaching behind her and into her torn skirt, the girl pulled out a small knife from the pouch strapped to her waist. The knife was strange in its shape, one that many of the crew were unfamiliar with. The black blade fit perfectly in the girl's hand as she maneuvered it easily to press against Usopp's neck. The sharp shooter gave a loud whimper, crying out for his nakama.

"You don't get to ask any questions." The pink haired girl growled. "Or this one will lose his head."

Usopp gave a choked gurgle as the pinkette tightened her hold around his neck. "Help!"

Zoro smacked his lips in annoyance at the sniper. "Come on, Usopp! How did you let her over power you? She's injured!"

"Don't you think I know that!? She's stronger than she looks."

"Zoro's got a point though." Nami whispered from behind Sanji and Luffy. The two shifted slightly, letting her know they heard her clearly. "She's still injured and even suffering from a fever. She'll be down in no time but she'll be dangerous if we stress her too much."

"So, we're stalling." Sanji sighed and pinched a small piece of Luffy's shorts. "That means don't go running off.'

The Straw Hat captain didn't answer but Sanji knew he was listening, though he didn't like it.

From side-to-side the pink haired girl whipped her head around in each pirate's direction, waiting for an answer, or worse, someone to attack. But no one seemed to be genuinely interested in harming her. However, looks could be deceiving and she was no stranger to people lying to her.

Sanji was the first to step a little closer. He raised his hands slightly above his head in a surrendering manner. "Now, now, milady." He said softly, "We don't want to fight."

The strange girl narrowed her eyes at him and pressed her knife a little deeper into the sniper's neck. Each of the pirates flinched when they saw a drop of blood run down their friend's neck. This girl was serious and if they didn't act quickly, they wouldn't lose just one comrade but possibly two.

"Then what do you want?" She growled.

"Nothing!" Sanji said quickly. "We found you floating in the water and thought we should help you. Our captain was the one who pulled you out."

The pink haired girl snapped her attention towards Luffy as Sanji motioned toward him. The slightly smaller boy gave an vigorous nod and stuck out his chest towards their attacker. "That's right!"

For a moment it looked like the girl had faltered, as if she believed their story and knew she was wrong for her actions. But the sight was only short lived until she was tensing back up and tightening her grip around Usopp. Even if she was wrong for her assumptions, that didn't mean they weren't going to attack or kill her for attacking their comrades. Fatigue gripped at her overheated body, making her legs buckle slightly from behind her hostage. The crew jerked forward to react but stopped the moment she caught her balance.

"Infection!" Chopper suddenly choked from beneath her foot.

The girl froze as did everyone else in the room.

"You have a viral infection!" He said again. "You need medic-."

"Ah!"

The girl suddenly scrambled away, dropping her knife in her haste to get away from Chopper. Usopp didn't waste any time in running away until he was safely behind his crew. He was surprised that Chopper didn't follow him but, instead, stood his ground in front of the surprised girl.

"Are you listening?" The tiny doctor shouted. "You could die from that fever you got from the infection. You could die!"

Frozen in fear the stranger pressed herself as far as she could into the far wall. Her knees seemed to buckle even more, her eyes wide like saucers at the sight she was witnessing. _Who were these people!? And why did they have a talking raccoon?_

"I'm not a raccoon, damnit!"

_Did I say that out loud?_

From the doorway, Luffy began to laugh and point at Chopper's increasingly angry face. Maybe this was a joke between the strange crew, because they all seemed to have relaxed now that their friend was unconsciously being insulted. All except for the sniper, at least. He was still cowering.

"Look, I'm a doctor. I can help you." Chopper said with a softer voice. He stepped towards the girl slowly, almost like a human finding an injured animal.

_Oh, how the roles have changed_.

"Who are you people?" The stranger turned her head to address the other crew members when Chopper jumped at her. The girl being distracted made it easy enough for him to transform to his Heavy Point. "_**Rumble**_!"

However, the girl proved to be faster than he expected. Using his height against him, the pinkette dipped under his much larger form and quickly slid through the opening of his legs. As a result, Chopper smacked face first into the wall in front of him, and fell to his knees in pain. He pointed a large hand at his comrades.

"Grab her!" He shouted.

Zoro and Sanji were the only ones to spring forward and toward the girl. In the tiny space, it would be difficult for her to just squeeze away like she did Chopper. It would be dangerous for them to do anything judging from the close proximity the kitchen forced them into. That proved to not be a problem for the swordsman who quickly unsheathed only two of his three swords.

_"A swordsman."_ The stranger thought grimly but didn't falter in her path out the door. She raised her kunai ready to counter in any way she knew how when Sanji suddenly sent a swift kick the swordsman's face. The stranger paused watching the green haired man go straight through the kitchen table and into the floor with a loud crash.

_Weren't these people comrades, _she thought in confusion. The blonde chef looked much more angrier at the swordsman rather than at the stranger that held two of his friends hostage.

"You idiot marimo!" Sanji shouted, "Don't put your shitty sword to a lady's face like that."

"Who's side are you on?!"

"Obviously, I'm on the side of this sweet little girl when it comes to you. Who would want to help your ugly ass?"

The girl considered the wreckage and the two fighting for a moment before glaring back at the other set of pirates. Nami and Usopp easily cowered under her steel gaze, dropping to their knees far away from the doorway. Now they only one who stood in her way was Luffy.

"Stop her, Luffy!" Chopper shouted.

Luffy flinched, snapping himself out of whatever daze he had found himself in. His arms moved accordingly, stretching out in an attempt to bind the girl in place. Her reaction was what everyone had pretty much expected. Not many people had the ability to stretch themselves beyond human capability. Chopper smirked triumphantly. He could practically foresee Luffy's victory.

Surely, this would be enough to catch her off her guard before she could hurt herself even more. As the two stared at each other, it was obvious she seem surprised, startled at Luffy's Gomu Gomu no mi powers but not for too long.

There was a sudden shift in the air, like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders. It was electrifying as it lit a spark of energy through the air. It was obvious that it was their strange visitor that seemed to be the cause of it all. From where she stood at the center of the room a blue glow emitted from beneath her feet. A rush of air breezed through the room and suddenly her feet were ignited by a cerulean flame.

"Her feet are on fire!" Luffy was instantly impressed. "Awesome!"

In that same instant that Luffy lost focus, the strange girl took just one step and disappeared. To the naked eye, it seemed as if she had just phased from existence when in reality she was just too fast for them to see. That little blue flame at her feet was the only thing she needed to push herself forward, avoiding Luffy's rubber arms like they were harmless. She crouched and extended her arms until she reached Luffy's shoulders and jumped over him with effortless grace. Luffy and his crew were left stunned at the display and could only watch in surprise as the girl escaped through the door a second later.

"Marvelous!" Sanji was the first to bellow, hearts replacing his dark eyes. "As expected of an angel!"

Zoro sent a swift kick through Sanji's head. "Now is not the time, ero-cook!"

Chopper interrupted the two before they could start another argument, pushing the two out the door. "Move, move! Get my patient!"

All at once, the Mugiwara crew each tried to step through the thin doorway and out towards the deck. They pushed and shoved each other, cursing insults and nasty slurs one after the other until they heard a loud clang from in front of them. The stranger they had tried to capture from before was standing at the end of the stairs, her back to the struggling crew as she stared out into the endless sea. There wasn't an island in sight for the Mugiwara crew had hit a "dry spell" after leaving Chopper's home island.

Obviously, she was unaware of that.

"Hey," Chopper whimpered, his animal instinct catching her flurry of hidden emotions. "Are you okay?"

The girl didn't answer for quite some time, choosing to stare out into the ocean as if it were some great enigma. Then she turned, her green eyes filled with tears and pain, accidently kicking her tiny blade away in the process. "I remembered." She whispered, "They're all dead now."

And suddenly, she fainted, smacking into the cold floor board without a sound.

The Mugiwara crew flinched into action until Zoro held his sword out in front of them like a gate. "Wait a minute." He said, "Don't just go jumping over to her. What happens if she suddenly attacks?"

"She's unconscious, Zoro! She can't do anything to us now." Chopper cried, pushing through the crowd of taller people to run to the girl's side. The reindeer shook his head in dismay, his tiny hoove resting against her sweaty forehead. "Her fever went up! Bring her back to the kitchen."

Chopper looked expectedly at Usopp who quickly looked towards Sanji. "No way, not this time! Sanji, you do it!"

"OKAY!" The cook was more than happy to oblige until he saw Luffy suddenly move forward. The taller man stopped and with the rest of the crew, watched as their captain picked up the pink haired girl and carried her up the stairs. His face completely serious as he strode purposely into the kitchen. Eventually, Chopper followed him up the stairs, slamming the door shut behind him as the rest of crew sat and waited.

* * *

A couple of hours must have passed by the time Sakura felt her conciousness return to her. She tried to move, noticing her body was unbelievably sore and groaned in pain.

She recognizes the sound of metal moving across something, like a sword suddenly becoming unsheathed. "Good. She's awake. I'll be ready for her this time." A deep voice says.

There is a rustle of movement and the sound of people yelling at each other when Sakura finally is able to open her eyes. The group of people she was trying to escape from earlier, were nearly all crowded around the green haired swordsman. Who gave a tiny grunt when she looked at them, catching everyone's attention.

All eyes turned to her, especially the eyes of the straw hat boy. His dark eyes lock on to her as he swirls to face her in his tiny rolling chair. "You okay now?" He says with a bright and toothy grin.

Sakura can't help but find hersef nodding as she does a mental check of herself. There's no more pain in her head and that dull ache she had is slowly losing its grip on her body. Her wounds weren't carrying her down anymore like they had done the last time she had woken up on this strange ship. Now that her vision had also made an exceptional recovery, the girl took a moment to address the other members of the crew wearily.

"Feeling better then?" The orange haired girl asked. Sakura nodded and the other girl motioned to the little furry creature she met earlier laying at her side. His hat was still on as he crowded in close to her and snored softly. Sakura bit her lip to hide how adorable he looked. She had to stay focused, she could still be in enemy lines for all she knew.

"He stayed up all night to make you better." The other girl added. "He did all the bandaging and put all the medicine in your wounds."

"He did?" Sakura croaked out.

The boy wearing the straw hat, Sakura believed he might have been the captain, gave a vigorous nod. "Chopper is my crew's doctor. He's really good, isn't he?" Sakura receives a smile that only a proud captain would give when mentioning his crew. Sakura glanced at the reindeer and her wounds. Although he was a little excessive with the bandages, he did get rid of the pain and majority of her fever.

"Who are you people?" Sakura asked, turning her attention to the group watching her intently. As a ninja, she couldn't trust many people that weren't of her own kind, but these people seemed to be different. They had taken her in and even healed her wounds after she had attacked them. They also didn't seem to be interested in doing any harm to her since she had awoke.

There weren't that many people in the world that had shown her that kind of kindness. She figured if they really were her enemy, they would have attacked by now, at least.

The captain, with his wide and toothy grin, points to himself. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, I am the captain of this pirate ship."

_Rather young to be a captain. Let alone being a pirate, S_akura thought, but the rest of the group was sort of the same way. Luffy pointed his finger to the orange haired girl now sitting at the foot of the bed. "That's Nami, she's the navigator."

"The green haired guy with the all the swords is Zoro and the blonde beside him is Sanji, our chef."

Sakura noticed there was something off about the two men Luffy had just mentioned. The blonde boy didn't seem to be too dangerous, he seemed harmless really. The only strange thing about him was the way he was staring at her like she had hung the moon and polished the stars. It was a stare she remembered Naruto giving her countless times when they first began as a team.

It was clear from the way the two held themselves, they were important members of this little crew.

The swordsman had an obvious sense of dislike for her. Sakura could tell he was holding his guard up against her. She wasn't really surprised by that notion and was actually relieved someone was acting the way she expected. The others seemed to have forgotten as if they were unfazed. Sakura would just have to make sure she was on her best behavior when around him.

However, the blonde, Sanji, was the one who made her the most uncomfortable. He hadn't stopped staring at her ever since she first laid eyes on him. There was something about him that just set Sakura off on all her defensive modes. Especially, from the way he had 'protected' her the second Zoro tried to swing his sword in her direction. She had never seen a comrade attack one of their own for some random person.

Then the man in question suddenly moved. Nearly an inch away from the bed, he bent to one knee and grabbed Sakura's in his own. "Thank you for blessing me with your beauty, milady." He said with a deep voice. "Now would you do me the honor of blessing me with your name?"

Sakura was surprised for a moment as her cheeks began to color violently. She squeaked and pulled her hand away just as Usopp side kicked Sanji to the floor. The blonde quickly recovered to his feet, grabbing Usopp by his shirt and nearly lifting him in the air with one hand. Sakura had expected the smaller boy to be frightened, as he seemed so afraid of her last time, but the look he gave Sanji was fierce. He actually looked pissed on Sakura's behalf.

"What you hit me for, Usopp?"

"Because you're a pervert!" The sharpshooter glared. "You don't just hit on a girl like that while she's recovering. You're stressing her out!"

The two continued to argue for a minute when Zoro spoke up. "I don't know why any of you would expect less from that ero-cook."

Two sets of eyes instantly snapped in his direction. Zoro had expected Sanji to give him a look but Usopp was a surprise.

"Shut your shitty mouth, marimo."

"Yeah! Don''t get me started on you too, Zoro! You're the one that tried to cut the girl into pieces."

"I was protecting YOU you ungrateful little-"

And that was how another fight broke out. Now, between the sharpshooter, the chef, and the first mate. Sakura couldn't believe how much fighting and arguing this crew could get into at such a short amount of time. At least the navigator seemed a little upset about it, but Sakura could see the fond expression in her eyes. She'd known that look anywhere for she would catch herself doing the same thing for her friends at home. A gut wrenching pain of mourning cut into her but Sakura was quick to mask her pain.

"So," Luffy began. "What _is _your name?"

Sakura blushed from all the attention directed to her but stomped down her fear as she faced the crew. With her knees tucked under her, she gave a small bow, green eyes closed. "My name is Sakura of the Haruno clan."

"Clan?"

"It's the ninja family I was born into."

"NINJA!?" Luffy's eyes seemed to light up. "So you are a ninja?"

The girl almost seemed afraid to answer, but spoke anyway. "Yes, I am."

The Straw Hat captain looked as if he could explode with happiness and excitement at the sudden revelation. He had never seen a real life ninja before but it was always on his agenda to finally meet one. He was, however, surprised that they looked the way they did. He expected them to be hulking with muscle but lean with speed and agility.

But this girl didn't look to be anywhere near to what Luffy had pictured. Sure, she was fast and did prove capable of avoiding him before with her fire feet, but she didn't look like she could keep up with him in a fight. Maybe, she was a weak ninja? Without any self-restrain, Luffy voiced his thoughts and nearly got a punch in the face. Fortunately, he was fast enough to move out of the way.

"Don't call me weak!" She bellowed.

Luffy laughed at the girl's distress. "Sorry, sorry." He said, "It's just...you weren't what I expected for a ninja."

"Yes," Sakura said. "I've heard."

"So wait," Luffy leaned in close to the girl, forgetting all personal boundaries that he had been taught. "Is that how you were able to move so fast? Is that what ninjas do?"

_"_It's one of the things we are taught, yes."

Luffy's eyes practically burst from his face. "That's so cool! You have to teach me! Did the fire burn? Can you shoot lasers too?"

_"There has to be something wrong with this boy_," the ninja thought to herself, then looked at the rest of the crew, seemingly watching her in amazement. "_There has to be something wrong with all of them."_

Chopper chose that exact moment to wake from his dream, giving a scream as he saw his 'patient' no longer lying in bed.

"You shouldn't be moving!" He cried, "Especially, with those injuries."

Sakura smiled at the small reindeer, giving him a slight pat on the head as he fussed over her. "You were the one who healed my wounds." Her grin softened. "Thank you."

Chopper paused, mesmerized by her elegant smile, his furry face began to burn in embarrassment. He hopped to his feet beside the bed and awkwardly rubbed the back of his furry head. He laughed without looking back at Sakura. "Don't compliment me, idiot! I'm not happy or anything, idiot!"

Watching as the small animal continued to curse and rant in his own little world, the girl suddenly began to sway as nausea hit her. Maybe she wasn't as completely healed as she thought she was.

"Shit." She cursed, rocking from side to side.

Nami steadied the girl with a hand on her shoulder. "Geez, these wounds are ridiculous. You shouldn't move around too much, like Chopper said."

Sakura brushed her hand off, feeling slightly irritable with so many people clustered around her. "They're old, nothing to worry about."

"You say that now, but your wounds tell a different story. "Usopp said, worry coating his tone of voice.

"Sorry, but do you mind if I ask where you got those wounds from?"

Nami expected the girl was ignoring her question when she stayed quiet but no one was prepared for the horrid sob the girl let out a moment later. She struggled to catch her breath, body shaking and writhing as if she was reliving the pain dealt to her. The images kept replaying Sakura's mind, forcing her to remember what she foolishly forgot. Her injuries, however, were unprepared for all the movement. Eventually, her bandages gave away as she dealt more damage to her healing wounds.

She could vaguely hear the crew's voices trying to calm her but Sakura had them confused with the screams of pain she had heard months ago. In her flustered state, she failed to notice Zoro give the navigator a disapproving stare for even bothering to ask such a question. In a blur of motion, the swordsman darted forward, wrapping a firm hand around the back of Sakura's neck.

The girl instantly stilled, wide fearful eyes staring into Zoro's. The man spoke softly to her. "Calm down. You're safe now. No one can hurt you anymore."

Sakura slowly began to relax after a deep breath. She had been trapped in a volley between reality and her biggest nightmare until the pressure of Zoro's firm but gentle grip grounded her.

"I'm sorry," Nami stammered, as the girl finally gained control of her breathing. "I didn't mean to bring back any bad memories."

Sakura gave the navigator a side glance but did nothing to calm her worries. She wasn't angry at the girl, but angry at herself for acting the way she did. She thought after a year of being away from it all, she would have better control of herself. Judging from the way the reindeer was putting on a new set of bandages, she was wrong.

"These _bad memories_ could never just be wiped away. No matter how much I want them to."

Silence fell over the group as the Mugiwara's watched the pink haired girl struggle with her breathing and the shaking in her tiny form. To those that had stared at her, she might have looked smaller, clutched into a ball as if she wanted to draw less attention to herself.

Luffy just thought she seemed lonely.

"You have no where to go?"

Sakura shrugged. "I can't tell anymore. I don't know what I am supposed to do."

The Straw Hat captain looked thoughtful for a minute, his grin stretching unbelievably wide. "Well, then...until you find out, how about you join my crew?"

* * *

_A tall and slender man stood at the tallest point of his favorite mountain. Shrouded by the trees and the other plant life in the forest, the slender man was well hidden as he always loved to be. The less people were able to see him, the better his plans all came together. It was only a matter of time before he was moving the final piece in place. _

_"There was a shifting sound of something moving behind the man, but he didn't seem afraid. He tilted his head slightly in the noises direction and spoke in a clear and quiet hiss. "Has everything been moved in order?"_

_"Yes, we are expected to send the next set of troops out soon. They only need a few days for supplies."_

_"And the others?"_

_"Struggling to respond." The other man said, his glasses flickering against the moonlight. "They have obtained a new leader of order."_

_"Oh?" The slender man looked pleased at his four-eyed friend. "Their leader is dead?"_

_"Missing, actually. But dead is good too."_

_"And I'm sure you had something to do with this," The slender man chuckled. "Right, Kabuto?"_

_'Kabuto' could only return the grin his master so elegantly sent him but did not acknowledge his claims. Though his face suddenly turned cold, "There is, however, a problem, sir."_

_The air grew chillier. "I don't like to hear about problems, Kabuto."_

_The man nodded, "Understood, sir. We will get rid of her as soon as possible."_

_"Her? Your problem is a girl?"_

_"Yes. Apparently, someone was transported outside of the village. We have reason to believe their chakra traces somewhere off the island but still on the Grand Line."_

_"Find her." The mystery man sighed. "If she doesn't return willingly then just kill her. Her body should still hold enough chakra to be extracted by the time you return."_

_"Right away, sir."_

_"Oh and Kabuto?" The ninja, who had already turned his back to complete his master's order, stopped and turned. He froze not a moment later, surprised that his master had somehow appeared right beside him. The man had a deranged look in his beady eyes, dark and long hair casting over his face as he stared at Kabuto. _

_"Failure is not an option."_

* * *

**_A/N_**

**I think the longer I continue to write this story, the more I will continue to call myself the Cliffhanger Queen. This story has so many cliffhangers its almost nauseating and irritating at the same time. Anyway, she's finally met the crew! It wasn't until the middle of this chapter that I realized this was almost the same as the meeting with Apis. I was half way through with the most surprised expression after realizing this, and just said 'Fuck it. I ain't changing it.' I've already changed this one chapter a dozen times trying to make it perfect. Either way, I kind of figured I wouldn't have Apis in here anyway if I decided to continue with Sakura on their travels. That's the part that worries most. Lol, how do I make Sakura during her travels? **

**SO MANY QUESTIONS! **

**I'm actually not surprised as to how fast these updates are coming. Although, it's just the second chapter, I already expect to have the third chapter ready on Friday maybe Saturday. So come back and see me!**

**Anyway, reviews are welcome and appreciated. **


	3. Solace

_Thanks to those that reviewed! This one came up fast and much longer too. I feel like my chapters get longer with each one I post. Also, check out my profile for updates on when chapters will be added._

_Hope you enjoy the chapter._

* * *

_Chapter 3:_

_Solace_

A couple of days had passed since Sakura found herself aboard the Mugiwara pirate ship. She had seen many things during her stay there and found herself questioning her sanity the longer she stayed. The Mugiwara crew were definitely a group of colorful people. Ranging from their constant bickering to their clashing personalities, Sakura couldn't understand how they managed not to kill each other on such a tiny ship. Yet, the other members of the group had found it completely normal and went about their day as if it were totally normal. Luffy clearly seemed to enjoy himself, judging from how much he laughed at everything.

There was no way Sakura could just bounce back the way they all could. Especially, not after what Luffy had asked her.

_"Well, then...until you find yourself, how about you join my crew?" _

Sakura's entire body began to boil as she remembered the captain's words. Becoming a member of a pirate crew was something she considered to be a long term commitment. She doubted there were many pirates that just left their crew willingly, or were able to, for that matter. And usually, pirates don't just ask random people to join there crew, especially when they threatened kill part of your crew. Sakura was still surprised they even welcome her on this ship with everything she did.

Though she hated to admit it, this could have been the grand opportunity she had been waiting for. With Sanji as their chef, Sakura imagined she would never have to fight or mourn for food ever again. She would finally have a warm place to stay at night, without the worry of someone trying to steal from her as she slept. Homeless people were very threatening when they needed to be, Sakura thought. And to top it all off, she would finally have someone to watch her back when things got rough.

Sakura was not the best fighter when it came to doing things on her own. She worked better in groups, using teamwork and battle plans to gain any sort of victory. Having someone to finally join her team was all she ever wanted again.

It was the most important thing to Sakura.

_In her hometown, Konoha, it was normal for people to dock themselves at their harbor and recuperate before setting sail again. No one, unless they had permission from the higher ups, was ever allowed to pass the large stone walls that protected the perimeter of Sakura's village. Which is why they had guards like her take watch over them day and night. _

_She was twelve when the pirates had first loaded on their dock. Her teammates flanked her at each side, both in daze and completely unaware of what was going on below them. Sakura noticed there were only four or five of them, small in size but heavily armed with swords and guns. She instantly knew there was going to be a problem from the way the pirates were eyeing the other people tending to themselves along the dock. Sakura at least had the mind to signal the silent alarm. _

_For quite some time all she could do was stand and watch as the pirates made an elderly fisherman their first target._

_From where she stood, she couldn't hear what they were telling the villager but from the way he shook in fear, Sakura thought the worse. However, there was nothing she could do. One of the major roles of being a guard of the perimeter walls, was no one could leave their post unless released by their superior officer. But her officer had left several minutes ago to do checks on the other side of the wall. It would take hours before he would be back for another inspection and another fifteen minutes before someone responded to her alarm._

_The elder could easily be killed by then._

_Sakura acted before she could think about it, jumping down the village walls until she landed not too far from the dock. She heard her Sasuke and Naruto scream in confusion after her but did nothing to obey or answer them. She had just broken a ninja law and would definitely suffer the consequences later. But during this moment, Sakura was able to push that thought to the back of her mind. _

_The pirates instantly took notice to her and released the elder from their grip. _

_"We got a cutie here, don't we guys?" One of the pirates said. Sakura noticed he was the only one missing his front two teeth. So, she dubbed him Toothless._

_The rest of the pirates laughed in approval as they surrounded Sakura on all sides. Sakura quietly stood her ground, trying to ease the rabbit heartbeat in her chest with unnoticeable deep breaths. Although she had been an official ninja for a couple of years, Sakura was still knew to the experience. _

_"Hey, pinkie." Sakura's eye twitched at the name Toothless gave her. Oh, if only he knew. "Run along if you don't want to get hurt."_

_"Please return to your ship if you will not remain on Konoha Harbor peacefully." Sakura said. The pirates laughed at her, all except one, who seemed slightly confused._

_"Konoha...?" He said, "Where have I heard that before?"_

_Toothless quirked an annoyed brow at the man. "You know this place Tobu?"_

_The man 'Tobu' didn't answer but did scratch his head as he racked his brain for an answer. The rest of his friends ignored him, turning to Sakura with new interest. _

_"Well, until you figure it out. Let's have some fun guys."_

_Then they all charged Sakura at once. The pink haired ninja was able to dodge them fairly easy with her own ability but struggled to counter their sword's strikes. She was weaker with her kunai but it was her best bet at not getting cut or stabbed. The pirates yelled and howled, increasing their blows like they were striking a hammer into a nail. But Sakura could easily hold them without fail. She was just about to deal her first finishing blow when she noticed from the corner of her eye, the old fisherman being poked at by a pirate's sword. _

_She needed to end this quickly.__Sakura reached her leg around and swung one pirate into two. She watched them tumble to the ground for a moment and returned her attention to Toothless. He only seemed slightly worried about Sakura's knew found strength. The man jumped forward swinging his sword into a collision with Sakura's kunai. She easily pushed his attack back at him but managed to keep her entire torso out and in the open. She didn't have enough time to react until he was pulling out a pistol and aiming straight for her chest._

_The resounding bang she heard forced her to close her eyes and prepare for the pain. _

_Fortunately, it never came. _

_She lifted her eyes just in time to see Naruto's orange clad outfit directly in front of her. The blonde was seething, hunched protectively in front of Sakura and behind a glaring Sasuke. Sakura noticed that Sasuke had his kunai out and poised to protect. She figured he must have deflected the bullet before it could hit her._

_"You are trespassing on Konoha ninja property." Sasuke's voice was cold and filled with malice. Sakura vaguely noticed Tobu flinching out of the corner of her eye. "I suggest you leave before we report you to ANBU operatives."_

_Sakura could only gape at her teammates. Not only had they committed a federal law as well, they did it just to protect her._

_"ANBU?" _

_"Ninja?" The pirates all chorused. Once again, without the addition of Tobu, who suddenly found himself weak at the knees. He was shivering as he latched onto Toothless' arm and tugged. "You idiots, we gotta go!"_

_Toothless glared at him. "What for? We can take these little kids."_

_"They aren't just little kids." Tobu shouted in a shriek. "They're ninjas. NINJAS! Haven't you heard the stories about them?"_

_"What stories?" His friends asked._

_"Yeah, what stories?" Naruto chimed in, earning a glare from Sasuke._

_From behind them all, Sakura stood quietly as she finally understood Tobu's hysterical blathering. Konoha was just one of the many villages on the fall island that had their own army of shinobi and kunoichi. They protected their hidden villages just as mercilessly as Konoha did. However, the people that lived in these villages tend to stay with in their city walls unless they were merchants and worked with trade. There wasn't much interaction with other civilizations outside of their island's premises and it stayed that way for centuries. It was only natural that those who came to their island and left would talk about them without their knowing. _

_"Awe whatever!" Toothless shouted and sent an onslaught of bullets at Sakura and her teammates. Sasuke easily dodged the bullets as Naruto twisted around to grab Sakura and leap out of the way. Reaching into the pouch on his thigh Sasuke threw a few shuriken at three of the pirates' feet. The blades stabbed through their flesh effortlessly, leaving them locked in place. Naruto quickly followed after, creating a large of number of clones to tackle the two remaining pirates to the ground with a barrage of kicks and bunches. In a matter of seconds, the pirates had all been defeated. _

_Sakura looked on with a happy smile, though inside she was reeling from all the trouble they were going to be in. "Naruto, Sasuke, thanks for that."_

_Naruto leaned over as the pink haired girl came closer and nudged her slightly with his elbow. "We'll always have your back, Sakura-chan. That's what Team 7 is all about, dettabayo!"_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes but didn't comment. Instead, he walked away from the two, he stopped however as he got a few feet from them and stared at the Konoha walls. Sakura looked up to where he was staring and noticed that an unusual amount of people were standing in the same spot they were supposed to be guarding. One person looked distinctly like their teacher and commanding officer, Kakakshi._

_Sakura felt a chill run down her back. This was not going to be pretty..._

_"Just be quiet and let me handle all the talking." Sasuke said from in front of them, just as the ninja began to join them at the dock. It was then that Sakura realized that Sasuke wasn't ignoring them, he was preparing to shield them from the doom that was the Anbu soldiers and Kakashi. Eventually, Naruto had taken his place not too far behind Sasuke but obviously directly in front of Sakura._

_The pink haired girl watched them silently, a small and fond smile brightening her face. _

Sakura could only sigh in wonder. Could she trust the Mugiwara crew the way she had done so long ago with Sasuke and Naruto.

_...Would they be happy about this? _

The pink haired girl violently shook her head in frustration.

_No, I don't deserve anymore comrades if I can't even protect them. _

The violent images of Sakura's dreams returned to her as did her memories of her home. She wasn't strong enough to save Sasuke and Naruto, and in her moment of deranged weakness, she had abandoned Kakashi, as well. How would this crew be able to trust her if she clearly didn't have the ability to play her own part.

There was no room for her if she didn't qualify for the space. Obviously, she would just get in the way.

Which is exactly why she had separated herself from the rest of the pirate crew. She figured because she had already caused them so much trouble, she would stay out of their way until she found a suitable island to restart on. Unfortunately, the other members of the ship did not agree with her. Many times they would step up to join her or engage her in a conversation. However, Sakura just refused to listen and ignored them whenever they came near.

Eventually, some people would get their way with her when proved powerless to stop them. Sanji for example managed to wrangle a blanket around her shoulders when she refused to come inside to sleep. He even dropped a few plates filled with food in front of her during meal times, much to her dismay.

Countless plates would lay out in front of her but she refused to eat it. She did not deserve it and, therefore, she felt that she shouldn't eat it. Either way, Luffy would eventually come by and clear off what had gone untouched.

"How long do you plan on staying out here?" A voice asked from above. Sakura looked up to see Usopp smiling down at her from the second floor's railing. Her eyes accidentally cast down to where there was a single bandage wrapped around his neck. _Right where Sakura had stabbed him. _Guilt gripped her and Sakura quickly turned her head away.

"I'm fine out here." Sakura said, quietly. The sharp shooter rumbled sadly at her cold demeanor but quickly perked up as an idea struck him.

"You know," He began. "Here on the Grand Line there's all different kinds of seasonal islands."

Sakura looked up at him with a confused expression. Of course she knew that. She did live on a fall island when she lived in Konoha. The weather there was fairly nice most of the time, but there were also some days when a cold spell would come around. A few inches of snow would appear here and there but it was never anything drastic.

Usopp chimed in during her silence, a wicked grin on his face. "And around here they say there's this new thing called the Storm Island."

"Storm Island?" Sakura scowled at him. "I've never heard of anything like that."

"Neither did I! But people say that when you pass it by, you get struck down by hail the size of bowling balls and tornadoes that strike from every direction. Why do you think we're all inside? Nami says we might get a few aftershocks of a hurricane."

Sakura wavered for a moment. Back in her days at the ninja academy, there was nothing she didn't know. Graduating top of her class, Sakura was the textbook genius that everyone had envied. However, after being enlisted into the army during the war, Sakura missed out on furthering her education. Could there really have been something as a 'Storm Island' and she just never learned it yet?

_I mean...there's no reason as to why he might lie, right? _Sakura questioned herself with a hint of worry. If there really was something like that, then would it be safe for her to say out on the deck, she wondered.

As Sakura pondered over the Storm Island, she suddenly heard the loud thud of bone hitting bone. Standing beside Usopp, who was clutching the rather large bruise on his head, was Sanji. The blonde looked rather angry but exasperated at his friend, his hand oddly cocked back as if he had punched him.

"What are you doing to Sakura-sama?" He growled. "Making up lies again, huh?"

"I was just trying to bring her inside before she got a cold!"

Sanji gave the boy another slap against the head but turned to Sakura with a small smile. "He is right, you know. The sea isn't very nice at night."

Sakura knew that very well without them having to say. She had spent countless nights outside and near the water. It was the only place she could go without being attacked by townspeople who recognized her for stealing food or sneaking into motels to sleep. Or other homeless people who thought her ninja equipment and garbs would pay well for a nice meal or liquor. Anywhere near the ocean was as far as she could go without being attacked.

"Why don't you come inside?" Sanji suggested, "I know you haven't eaten since you got here."

_It was much longer than that..._

Sakura simply shook her head in denial, turning her head as a way to say she was done speaking.

They must have taken the hint judging from the way their footsteps seemed to walking farther away. She mourned the company briefly but chose not to think of it for too long. She was caught off guard, however, when two pairs of arms wrapped around her, lifted her from the cold floor, and into the air.

"Put me down!" She cried to her unknown assailants.

Unknown to her, Sanji and Usopp wrapped the blanket she wore closer to her thin body. It managed to keep her firmly in place when she struggled to get away. Sakura loudly protested and wiggled but couldn't shake herself free of their grip. They didn't release her until they stepped into their kitchen/quarters where the others were enjoying their last meal of the day.

Sakura could hear the room go deafly silent at their entrance as everyone turned to stare at her.

The pink haired girl fidgeted under their gazes, pressing back into Sanji's chest as if it would push him and her out the door. He and Usopp, however, would do no such thing and placed her in between Luffy and Nami at the table. The two smiled at her in welcome. Luffy giving her a firm pat on the back as Nami cheered something she couldn't quite understand.

The rest of the crew went on about themselves, playfully pushing at each other and talking like nothing had changed. Usopp took a seat beside a sleeping Zoro, kicking at Sakura's feet playfully from across the table. Sakura knew it was a gesture for her to relax but she was unfamiliar with these kinds of interactions. She had gone a full year and maybe a few months without it. She didn't know how to react anymore.

Just as she was thinking about making a run for the door, Sanji gracefully placed a large plate filled with food out in front of her. The smell was intoxicating and made her knees shiver in ecstasy. Never had she been introduced to such delectable piece of work in all of her life. Even when she had lived with her parents, there wasn't much for them to eat as their city was becoming even more poor with the impending war. Then when she was enlisted, Sakura had to survive off of berries and 'soldier packs' in order to get by.

But this food that Sanji had shown her was on a totally different level.

"It's really good." Luffy said from her left, still stuffing even more food into his mouth. "Sanji is a really great chef."

Sanji leaned over to lightly hit Luffy upside the head. "Don't talk with your mouth full, genius."

Most of the crew looked on with a fond look on their face, but Nami had her attention on Sakura.

"You should eat up." She said.

"I couldn't." Sakura shook her head.

Nami quirked a brow. "Why not?"

"I don't deserve it. Especially, after what I did to you all." Sakura cast a nervous glance at Usopp's bandage. Usopp, in return, puts a hand over his bandage and uses the other to wave distractedly in the air.

"This little thing?" He said. "It's nothing but a flesh wound, I'll heal."

"You wouldn't have if I had used a poison-dipped kunai."

Usopp suddenly grew pale as the rest of the crew froze in surprise. Sakura was pretty sure that even Zoro was no longer sleeping, though his eyes were still closed.

Sakura figures that they didn't know how dangerous their first encounter with Sakura could have been. Fortunately, Sakura wasn't much of a killer and failed as a mercenary when enlisted in the war. She was thankful that she was in the right mind to control herself, but it makes her sick to think that she could have harmed an innocent person.

As Sakura has thought before, she clearly wasn't worthy of their kindness..

Sakura noticed there was very little malice in his voice than she had heard before. She turned her attention to the plate again but instead of beginning to eat, she slid the plate towards Luffy.

"Thank you." Sakura suddenly found an interest in her lap rather than the questioning gazes of the pirates. "But I can't accept your food."

"A guest denying a gift is rude, you know?" Zoro chimed in.

The girl fidgeted under the truth of the statement. Sakura was anything but rude, she had been raised and taught by many people. If they were to see her now, there was no telling what sort of backlash she would receive. However, she was stuck between two conflicts. Accepting a food she didn't deserve or rudely denying a gift.

Fortunately, Luffy made the decision for her. The rubber man pushed the plate Sakura had offered him right back in front of her. She looked up at him expectantly only to see him grinning at her.

"It's okay to ask for help, you know?" He motioned to the rest of his crew with a bare bone of chicken. Sakura noticed that many of them, even Zoro, was smiling at her with that warm smile they all seemed to share. Sakura felt her eyes water, unable to stare at them any longer, but Luffy continued.

"That's what we do here. We're nakama and we always do whatever we can for each other. That's the kind of pirate crew I want to have."

An abundance of emotion swelled at Sakura's chest but she did her best to not let it show. She kept her head bowed, allowing her messy pink hair to cast her face in a shadow. It was the only way she could keep them all from seeing the large tears running down her face, mixing with the mess coming from her nose. She knew she looked disgusting but as she shoveled Sanji's cooking in her mouth, Sakura couldn't find herself to care. She hoped the others would do the same.

_There really are still nice people in this world, _Sakura thought. _Maybe I won't be in this all alone anymore._

* * *

_Outskirts of Konoha_

There wasn't much to see now that the Konoha's city walls had been broken into. The city had been glorious and vibrant throughout the area it had laid ownership to. Kabuto remembered visiting many times and laughing at how it will come to an end at his hands.

Well...at his master's hands...but that was just details. It was Kabuto that had distributed the teams in their correct areas and it was Kabuto that had put the seed of doubt in the citizen's minds when chaos had finally struck. All he had to do was sit back and watch as the city destroyed themselves along with the ninja he had allied with. It was a sweet sweet victory. And his master planned to repay him well for his success.

However, that was only if he was able to get that _brat _back where she belonged.

It was a good thing that Kabuto had spotted the issue when he did, or it truly would have become a problem.

_Everything had been moving according to plan. Konoha ninja were scattering and falling like bugs from the sky. The battle had been short and vicious, just the way Kabuto had liked. There were no issues and it seemed like everything was moving smoothly, until he noticed three of his ninjas standing and laughing in one spot. He stopped on a tree branch not too far away from where they stood._

_"You three!" He shouted, and they each glanced over at him. Only two snapped into attention while the other, the spikey haired boy, casually looked on. Of course, Kabuto would have to deal with him later._

_"What are you doing just sitting there?" He grumbled. "The last thing we need is someone seeing you for too long."_

_The spikey haired boy, Kabuto believed his name to be Zaku Abumi, was the first to answer. He shrugged his shoulders and pointed at something the three were surrounded on the ground. "We were just admiring our handiwork. One of the leaf brats we were after ran away."_

_Something uneasy washed over Kabuto. He instantly felt it the moment he moved closer to the three sound ninja. Leaping from his branch, he joined the other ninja on the ground floor. It was then that he noticed the large Transportation seal carefully drawn on the ground. It was hasty work but it was more than stable to get the job done. _

_Kabuto began to shake in rage when he realized the Transportation seal used was for no ordinary transportation. Someone intended for this to go** far**, possibly off this island **far.**_

_The silver haired man jumped to his feet, grabbing Zaku tightly around the neck and lifting him like he was nothing but a doll. The younger boy struggled, scrambling to remove Kabuto's hands to no avail. _

_Kabuto squeezed the air from his lungs. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"_

_Zaku squealed in his grip, frantically trying to scramble away but Kabuto held firm. The boy's teammates jumped to his aid but didn't move quite too far. Kabuto clearly was beginning to enjoy the fear in their eyes for their teammate. _

_That was fine._

_ He would enjoy making an example out of Zaku. _

_"Who is the person that used the Transportation jutsu?" Kabuto asked, knowing the other two would answer._

_Dosu Kinuta stuttered a reply. "W-We don't know." He pointed to the top of the transportation seal where are a large amount of blood was scattered around the front of the seal. Whowever had used the jutsu obviously drained a lot of their chakra. It would be a miracle if they survived the backlash of using too much. _

_Hmmm, so someone used the seal to transport another but escaped before they could get here, Kabuto gave a mental sigh. Such idiots, he thought._

_"You said it was a Konoha ninja you knew that got away. Who?"_

_"Some pink haired kunoichi. We found her hair on the hill she fell down on and a bit of it around the seal." Kin Tsuchi cried, glancing fervently between Kabuto and Zaku. "Her teammates called her Sakura."_

_Kabuto quirked a brow at Zaku's face as it suddenly gained a blue like hue. "And her teammates?"_

_"Dead!" Zaku whimpered._

_Finally, the man released Zaku, watching him squirm on the floor for air. With a roll of his eyes Kabuto dragged a hand through his bangs. Surely, his master was not going to enjoy this. They needed every ninja they could find in order to complete their final plans. If anyone escaped, it could ruin everything they had worked so hard to achieve. _

_No...this could ruin everything **he **worked so hard to achieve._

_And Kabuto refused to just let it slip away._

Kabuto returned from his reverie by a sound ninja appearing beside him. He refused to look at the ninja, waiting for him to speak his purpose.

"We are getting closer to receiving the information we need, sir."

From across the clearing, standing directly around the transportation seal, Kabuto had collected the best ninja with chakra control. It had taken awhile, as there was not much he could do without things being reported back to his master. He had to wait and bide his time before he could finally put his plan into action. He watched as a visible display of blue of chakra surrounded the seal and the five ninja standing around it.

"What are they doing?"

"We pump chakra inside of the seal but not too much to awaken it and rebuild the path." The ninja said. "It will be used to trace the chakra that was left over and give us the proper trail."

"Good." Everything was beginning to come together again. "How long do you think this will take?"

"A couple of weeks, sir, at least."

"Weeks?" Kabuto barked. "We don't have weeks!"

"Sir, the amount of chakra used was immense. We will need time to recharge our chakra supply or we could lose the path. I don't see how one person was able to send someone this far all alone."

A silver brow quirked. "Are you saying this person had an accomplice?"

"_Accomplices_." The soldier corrected. "The most one person could do was possibly send the girl off the island and into the next uncharted island a few miles away. She could have even been thrown in the water, for that matter! However, the chakra left over indicates that this girl was sent exceedingly farther than that. Until we get a good direction as to where she was dropped off at, we might not be able to find her."

"Never mind that. I want squads A and D after the ninja that started the jutsu and squads B and C after his accomplices."

"Right away sir!"

If he could find the ninja that had did this, maybe his plans would change for the better.

* * *

_Going Merry_

At the end of Sakura's meal, she had four plates and three glasses collected around her. Sanji gave a weary chuckle as he piled the dishes neatly onto one hand. So many years on the Baratie had did him well.

"From the way she just ate, I might have to buy a separate supply for Sakura-chan and Luffy."

"No, no." Sakura blushed a deep shade of red. "You shouldn't have to do that. I'll be out of your hair soon enough."

Sanji waved a dismissive hand at the girl, ending the conversation before she could say more. Sakura had to hold herself back from arguing further, but decided it wasn't worth the energy. The chef had already made up his mind anyway.

"Ah~" Nami gave a blissful sigh. She turned in her seat and gave Sakura an elegant and bright smile. "It feels so nice to finally have a girl on this ship. I felt so lonely."

"B-But I'm not-" The navigator was quick to interrupt her, wrapping her arm around her tiny shoulder. However, the embrace did not last forever until Nami was quickly leaning away from her.

"_OH GOD!" _

Everyone stopped to stare at Nami that had suddenly fell off the table bench, clenching her nose like a lifeline.

"Nami?"

The navigator stood shakily to her feet. "Does no one else smell that? It smells God awful!"

A tiny hoof was raised in the air and all eyes turned to Chopper. The small doctor was leaning far away from the rest of the group at the edge of their small table. No one had noticed before but somehow he had acquired a pair of nose clips, thoroughly blocking whatever the smell was.

"It's coming from Sakura-san." He said hesitantly.

Sakura blushed as she once more became the center of attention. She took a small sniff of the air and was surprised that there surely was a _fowl odor. _Now that everyone had mentioned it, Sakura probably was the cause of it all. She hadn't had access to a shower for a few weeks, possibly even longer than that. There was no telling what kind of dirt and smell she had collected since then. The ninja hesitantly ran a hand through her unruly hair, grimacing when oil and dirt seemed to cover her hand.

_She was filthy!_

"Let's go!" Nami grabbed Sakura by the collar of her torn shirt. She struggled against her for a moment, but Nami continued to tug her along as if she weighed nothing.

"W-Where are we going?" The ninja stammered.

"To give you a bath!"

The Going Merry was not meant to be a ship for traveling the world. It was a mighty fine ship but it was not meant to be a pirate ship. It was tiny, short on heavy arms, and weak to even the slightest touches. Although, some of those 'touches' tended to be a lot more rough when Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp were added into the mixture. The ship was also not meant for many people to be aboard. Created and built for Kaya, the person who gave the crew the ship, the Going Merry was meant for a few guests and nothing more. Which was fine for them, as they were still a small crew. Sometimes the boys would complain about how cramped it would be but no one dared to mention how Nami had an entire room to herself.

Nami absolutely loved it. The room was originally designed for Kaya, which easily fit Nami's girly personality. And the best benefit of all, was that it was right next door to their tiny little bathroom.

Which is where Sakura found herself not too long after.

The navigator scrubbed roughly at Sakura's skin, doing all that she could remove the dirt and grime that seemed to be caked to the ninja's body. Of course she moaned and cried out to the harsh treatment, but Nami did nothing to acknowledge it. There was no way she was letting this girl roam around _her _ship like a rabid animal.

Beside the tub, Nami grabbed the bottle of shampoo, eyeing it critically between Sakura's mop of hair and the generous amount she had left. There was matted hair everywhere mixed in with things Nami didn't even want to describe. She figured she would need more than just a handful of the shampoo and decided to dump the rest of the solution into the girl's hair. She dug her nails into the fine locks, lathering it until she was unable to see the dirt and grime mixed with pink. It wasn't until Sakura's hair was completely covered in bubbles that the tension finally eased from Nami's body. The odor was finally gone making it was easier for Sakura to breathe.

"Geez, when was the last time you took a bath?"

Quietly, Sakura said. "...I can't really remember."

"You can't remember? What have you been doing all this time?"

There was an awkward silence as Sakura sat in the small bathtub but did nothing to respond to Nami's question. She hadn't moved a muscle since Nami had thrown her inside and didn't complain no matter the rough treatment the girl gave her. When the silence lingered on longer than Nami felt comfortable with, Sakura spoke up.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all the trouble of having to get me clean, Nami-san." Sakura said.

Nami stuttered a reply. "Well, it's fine really. Don't worry about it. Though, you do have such beautiful hair. Why would ever not take care of it?"

"In my country, hair is only a material thing. It is a hindrance and most people recommend that we not pay any attention to it." Sakura continued on with a monotone voice. The sound felt eerie to Nami's ears. "Those that define your gender, other than your title as kunoichi or shinobi, are frowned upon. They do not matter and should not while you are in the line of duty. That is in the ninja way."

Nami paused in her intense scrubbing. It had taken her awhile but after removing the excess dirt around her, it was a lot easier to see all of the scars she had obtained in her line of work. It was amazing that Chopper was even able to clean what he could when he fixed her wounds.

"How long were you a ninja?"

"I've been a ninja since I joined the academy." Sakura looked thoughtful for a minute. "So maybe since I was ten years old."

"You haven't taken a bath since or did your hair since you were ten years old?!"

Sakura frantically shook her head with a blush. "No, no, no! It wasn't always that bad. I still had my parents back then and they helped me take care of those sort of things until I joined my own team."

"You had your parents 'back then'?" Nami asked, hesitantly. "What happened to them?"

"They were killed...that was when the war first began."

_Fourteen year old Sakura ran as far as her small limbs could take her. Her body was uncomfortably warm from the flames that had spread across her village like a wildfire. She watched and ran past as her people cried out for mercy on the streets while other just lay in silence, presumably dead. They were at war and this strike, one among many, had been the most devastating on their land. Sakura couldn't tell how many people had been affected or who exactly had been the cause of it all. _

_Rumors had spread that there were spies in Konoha's walls. _

_Anger and confusion wracked Sakura's mind. _

_She had been away for a mission, one that took much longer than they had expected. But if it had been any shorter, Sakura was unsure if she would still be alive at that moment._

_Unfortunately, that was the least of her worries now. She had to look for her family._

_Making a sharp left at one of her vaguely familiar streets, Sakura immediately came to stop and dropped to her knees. Anguish ripped at her chest and left her screaming as she saw that her entire neighborhood had been destroyed. Her neighbors, the store on the corner, and the park she had known for some many years had been burned to the ground. _

_And the worst of it all, Sakura's home had finally met its end as it came crumbling down. __She wailed and screamed, calling out to her parents who she knew just didn't make it out._

_Sakura didn't know how long she sat there and cried until Naruto and Sasuke had found her, cradling her in their arms until they were able to escape the destruction._

"I can't help but wonder." Sakura said, quietly. "Was I supposed to die with them?"

The pink haired girl swiveled around in the tub, facing Nami with pained emerald eyes. "How can I possibly be your nakama if I can't protect anyone. What could I possibly do for you?"

She turned back to her reflection in the water. She stared at it like the very of image of herself had done her wrong.

"What good am I to anyone?"

From her position at the side of the bathtub, Nami's body shuddered from Sakura's cold words. Something inside of her told her to stop the girl before she could go on, but her body refused to work for her. She could only stare and watch as Sakura continued to bring herself down with her own words.

"So many people died that night. There were so many people that I failed to protect."

Nami finally gained enough strength to find her voice. "But Sakura it couldn't have been your fault."

Those words felt stale in Nami's mouth. She couldn't remember how many people had told Nami those exact same words when she fell prisoner to Arlong. So many times she would beat herself up over something that she couldn't control. Yet, deep down inside she felt she could have made a difference. If she had just done something different then maybe Bell-mere would still be with her sister back home.

A splash in the water made Nami break from her daydreaming. She looked at Sakura, frowning when she noticed tears falling free from her eyes. Another splash sounded as she punched at the sudsy water.

"It was all my fault! Everything!" Sakura shouted, and sent another punch through the water's surface. The excess water splashed against her face and the soap added to the burn in her eyes but she didn't stop. If anything, it seemed to urge her on.

"I couldn't save any of them and couldn't protect my teammates, _my friends._" Sakura paused in her fighting and dug her nails into the skin of her knees. "I could only stare at their backs as they protected me _each time_. How more_ useless_ can I be?"

"_What am I supposed to do?"_ She turned to Nami, her eyes flooding with tears as her body began to wrack with shivers. Suddenly, it wasn't Sakura that Nami could see anymore, but only herself. The perfect image of when she had been broken by Arlong and the past struggles of Cocoyashi village glared back at her. Almost as if it were a constant reminder of her past mistakes. She blinked and Sakura had returned to her view. In that moment, Nami reached into the small bathtub and latched on to Sakura's shoulders.

"Stop talking about yourself like that!" Nami cried. "You can't continue to live on in the past like this! Do you think your friends would want this from you?"

Sakura looked up at Nami, surprise in her face but she managed to shake her head. She hated to admit it but Naruto and Sasuke would probably angry with her from the way she was continuing to live, not to mention her parents. They would be angry that she hadn't taken the time to find a decent shelter or a place to live. It was like they were giving their life away for nothing.

"But it's so hard..." She whimpered. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"You can stay with us!" Nami said. "We'll welcome you no matter what."

"That's not it! I had a responsibility to my nation and I abandoned them. If I couldn't protect my village than I should have died with all the shinobi that fought for the same cause. That's the least I can do as a ninja!" Sakura's voice began to quiver as she struggled to control herself. "But I can't even find my way back, I can't do anything!"

The pink haired girl let out a long and suffering sob. She cried for her teammates, her teacher, and for the family she was torn away from. She longed to return to them even if it meant seeing them in her death.

Sakura was so broken up and lost in her own crying, she gasped when Nami's skinny arms wrapped around her shoulders. The navigator pulling her close, ignoring how wet her clothes were getting or how the shampoo was beginning to cling to her.

"It's okay." Nami said softly. "No one is going to blame you for anything."

"But I-"

"Stop it!" Her arms squeezed harder, nearly suffocating the smaller girl. "I'm sure none of your friends blame you, you did all that you could. You have to know that you can't bear all of that weight on yourself."

"And when it comes to us." Nami pulled away so they could lock eyes but she kept a firm grim on her bare shoulders. "We will never judge you for your past because we all have struggled. Every last one of us on this ship. We've made mistakes and we've had it hard in the past, but we have learned to grow from them."

"Even you, Nami-san?"

Nami's eyes softened. "Yeah, even me."

She leaned over so their foreheads were touching. She closed her, missing the surprised expression on Sakura's face as she moved so close to her. She could practically picture the girl blushing a fine shade of red but didn't open her eyes to check. They needed this moment, for the both of them.

"Everyone has doubts about the decisions we make. I know I have had my fair share. But you're only human, Sakura. You can do everything just on your own. And no matter how many times you try to tell yourself you are better off on your own, things will only get harder for you."

Nami ran a hand through Sakura's hair, silently marveling at how soft it had finally become. "We all have our moments when we feel useless. But sometimes that's why we need friends, to help us pick up the slack and give us a good kick in the butt when we can't seem to see straight."

"Just like you are for me?" Sakura said with a laugh.

In any other sort of circumstance, Nami would have laughed with her. But in this moment, she stared at Sakura with a serious face. "Yeah, just like that. And I always will be."

Sakura sniffled. "R-Really?"

"Really!" Nami used a hand to flip her short hair. "Of course, I'm not a liar like Usopp."

Nami expected Sakura to laugh at least a little at her joke, but instead she seemed to frozen scared. "H-Hey Sakura, it was only a joke."

"Nami-san..." Sakura pointed at Nami. "Look at your hands."

Doing as she was told, the navigator looked down. Instead of pink and milky white hands staring back at her, Nami's palms had turned pitch black.

_"_What the hell is that?!"

"It's probably from all the dirt in my hair!"

"Your hair got that dirty that it stained my hands?!"

"I-I don't know!? Wa-wait a minute, Nami-san don't just jump in the-!"

"KYAAAAAAAH!"

* * *

"Phew..." Nami sighed as she towel dried her hair. "That's enough excitement for me in one night."

From behind the orange haired girl, Sakura gave a weary laugh. Never before did she have an experience like that just taking a bath. She wondered if 'bath time' was just as crazy like this before she had arrived.

Sakura didn't bother to ask.

"Well, good night Nami-san." Sakura said, and walked away to return to her spot out on the deck. Nami's hand around her wrist successfully stopped her before she could get too far.

"You're not thinking about sleeping outside again, are you?"

"Yes?"

Nami gave a sharp tug and dragged Sakura away from the door leading to the deck. "You're not sleeping out there again. You can spend the night in my room from now on."

Sakura was going to protest when Nami opened the door to their room. Her jaw immediately dropped.

Nami's room looked like it was fit for a Queen to live in. The fluffy rug felt like a pillow on Sakura's feet as she stepped into the room. Pictures and art that Sakura had never seen before decorated the wooden walls. The room was surprisingly large for such a tiny ship and all of the furniture that was put inside. Sakura had never enjoyed a room quite like it before.

"It's not that great." Nami said with a chuckle.

"It's amazing!" Sakura said in amazement. "I've never actually had a room so nice like this."

"Really?"

Sakura nodded. "I usually slept outside when my teammates were traveling on missions or when I went to war. Even before then, my room was never this big and I didn't have so much _stuff."_

Nami's eyes softened at the girl. Even though she was a ninja and a soldier of the war, she was still just a child that didn't get the chance to really grow up. It broke Nami to have to sit and watch it her like she did.

"I'm guessing you sleep on the couch?" Sakura said, motioning towards the light green sofa on the far wall. "I can sleep on this rug. It's way better than sleeping outside!"

"No, no." Nami said and motioned towards the wall near the stairs. "Over here is where we sleep."

Sakura quirked a brow but watched quietly as the navigator walked over to the wall and pulled a single rope from the ceiling. From there a small hammock fell perfectly into place in front of them. Nami couldn't help but laugh at the look of pure amazement on Sakura's face. Without a word she stepped inside and threw the blanket over her. She moved a corner of the blanket back and looked expectantly at Sakura.

The pink haired girl flinched into action and scrambled nervously into the bed. "A-Are you sure this okay?"

Nami chuckled at the blush that began to appear on Sakura's face. She was so innocent!

"I'm positive this is fine." Nami wrapped around the girl's small frame, pulling her until she was slotted perfectly into a comfortable position against the navigator. It took a moment but after awhile Sakura learned to relax against Nami's plump chest. They settled into their shared warm with a content smile, enjoying the comfort of another to put them to rest.

* * *

**a/n**

_For some reason, I didn't expect it to be this long. I really didn't expect any of my other chapters to be this long either. I get the idea for what I want to have in the next chapter and suddenly it's longer than I thought it would be. _

**_NaruSakuSasu Feels- _**_T__here will probably be a lot of that in here. Just to let you know. _

**_Nami/Sakura _-**_How this whole thing started off, I have no idea. It just popped up and was stuck in my head until I finally put it out on paper. I kind of like the idea that if Sakura was a part of the crew, she would be considered the little sister to Nami's big sister. In an SBS question, Oda gave a description of what role every crew would fit into if they were a real family. I thought it would be kind of cute to throw in this sort of element to it. _

_**Rooms-**Did you know the rooms were actually furnished on the Going Merry? For some reason, because they never really showed them, I thought they were really dinky rooms that only had everyone's valuables in it. Not that they had couches, bars, and other stuff. So many years keeping up with this show and I did not know. Anyway, .com pretty much enlightened me on the matter so all credit goes to them. Which is why I was able to give a good image of what the women's room was like. It's actually pretty nice. Take a look at it just in case you didn't know about it either. _

_**Pairings**-As of right now, I'm not really sure what the pairing is going to be. I have leaned towards many combinations but drastically stayed a way from others just as much. I want to do something I have never seen before but that would require for me to continue the story until One Piece basically ends. But at the rate of the attention ROTF is getting, I don't know how much longer I want to keep writing. _

_**Reviews-If you want to review, be my guest. Don't be mean, be reasonable. I already had to ignore some terrible stuff already. **_


	4. Wild Heart and Mind part 1

**_Well, hello there. Long time no see, right? I am so sorry about the delay. I couldn't possibly hold off all that homework I had to do in order to update so I tried to get it in as soon as possible. While I was doing some work I suddenly realized that Sakura's birthday was coming up and just had to post in honor of her greatness. Yes, I'm a nerd. But because I had a lot to add to this chapter, I decided to put it in two parts. So its like a Sakura birthday weekend surprise. The first part will be updated today and the second will be posted tomorrow late afternoon. Thanks to all that reviewed, I responded to a lot of questions in the author's note after the chapter. So check it out!_**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

_Chapter 4:_

_Wild Heart and Mind part 1_

Sakura awoke before dawn like she did every morning. So many years of training before sunrise has forced her to retain the same habit even now. Judging from her snoring sleeping partner, Sakura was probably the only one to be up and about at this time. Even with her injuries still healing, Sakura managed to slip from her the orange haired girl's embrace and out of the women's quarters. She eventually took the flight of stairs towards the storage room until she was able to reach the entry way to the deck.

From there, Sakura couldn't help but gasp at the sight waiting there for her.

The sun was just barely rising, the hues of red and yellow mixing together perfectly in the distance. It had been so long since Sakura had last seen such an elegant display. Though she was able to remember it clearly from her memory. She had seen it countless times from where she sat on top of the village walls, watching over her homeland as the world changed through a variety of colors. It was a calming sight, one that she hated she couldn't see often.

"It must be nice." She said, knowing that someone could hear. "Being able to see this view wherever you go."

There was no need to greet her visitor, as that person was now standing at her side. She looked up, giving a small smile to the straw hat captain. He gave her a stretchy grin in response.

For the first time, Sakura was finally able to really study Luffy since her arrival on their ship. Ever since she had caused so much chaos and destruction, she found it difficult to even look him in the eyes. She nearly lost all of her sense when he came too close. She still felt bad after all that she had done, and that there were not enough words to apologize for her actions. To make matters worse, she still was unable to give Luffy her answer. She felt bad, knowing that he was eager for to join them.

Despite all of that, it was nice being able to see him the way he was now. The sight of his happy-go lucky attitude was more of a comfort than an annoyance. Surprisingly, he was more laid back and quieter than how he would act in front of people. It was an interesting sight to see.

"Ah." Luffy nodded at her words, smiling at the sea like it was an old friend he had missed. "The sea is the best view there is."

Sakura smiled at his expression, though there was unpleasant twinge in her chest. Looking at him reminded her so much of Naruto. The realization made Sakura look away.

"You must really love the sea, then."

"Of course!" Luffy gave her a look that clearly meant 'What kind of a question was that?', but didn't bother to mention it. "I'm a pirate." He said, "The sea is our best friend."

"Oh, really now?"

Luffy gave a thoughtful hum. "The only issue is that I can't swim?"

"You're a pirate and you can't swim?" Sakura almost felt like laughing, but stopped when she saw a flash of pain flicker across his face. "Did know one teach you?

"Well, I learned, but that was before I became a rubber man." Luffy made a show of pulling at his upper lip, stretching and extending it until it moved far past the length of his shoulder. Sakura flinched as if it was her skin that he was pulling. Without much thought Sakura found herself reaching her hand out to him, just to _feel _when Luffy looked at her. She instantly froze, staring into his dark eyes as they gazed down at her.

He laughed softly at her after a moment and presented his cheek to her. "Go ahead, it doesn't hurt."

Sakura felt the heat rise to her face but did as she was told. She lightly pressed her hand into his cheek and marveled at how soft it was. She rubbed her fingers into his skin, pulling and tugging until finally releasing him.

"Y-You weren't always like this?"

"Nope. I ate the Gomu Gomu No Mi and this is what happened."

Oh! I've read about this. You're a devil fruit eater!"

"Yeah, so you have heard about it."

Sakura nodded. "It's not very popular where I am from but we still know about these kinds of things."

Konoha was a very private village, Sakura remembered. Though they were all for intercultural relations, they tended to keep to themselves during trivial matters. Sakura guesses that was what really caused the downfall of her home.

"Ah, makes sense." Luffy said, and turned around to gaze at the sea again. Sakura figured that was the end of that conversation and turned to stare as well.

"It's times like these that make me glad I am a pirate."

Sakura looked up at the boy, though her gaze had not been returned. "Out here you can do and be anything you want. And your dreams are endless beyond belief." Luffy turned and smiled at her. "A really important person told me that."

"And that's why you're here?"

"Something like that."

There was silence, Sakura staring at the other boy until she chuckled and turned away.

"Was that some ploy to get me to be your nakama?"

"….Did it work?'

"Nope."

Sakura giggled, watching the teen through himself into a full blown temper tantrum and a stretchy pout.

"I'm guessing you've never been told no before."

"Hmmm.., not really." He stood up, his temper tantrum suddenly gone like dust in the wind. "People usually tell me no. Majority of the people in this crew have said it to me each time I asked. But I usually don't listen and make them join anyway."

Sakura felt a bead of sweat drop down her neck. _Wasn't that considered kidnapping?_

"Luffy," Sakura said in a firm voice. "I will not be joining your crew." Then in a gentle voice she continued, "I'm sorry to have to tell you that."

"How come you don't want to join us?" Luffy said, "You could see this view every day for the rest of your life if you stick with us."

"I-I can still see it wherever I choose to go. It might just take awhile."

"Then how about this." Luffy suddenly loomed closer, until his thin form was practically towering over Sakura and crowding her against the railing. "You could see this view every day, and never have to be alone when you do."

Sakura's body shook to the core as she gripped the railing behind her. Of course she wanted nothing more than to stay where she could have a nice warm meal every day, a place to sleep, and friends to return to. But she just couldn't, she didn't deserve it.

"Saku-"

"I'm just not ready for it yet, Luffy." Sakura said, but refused to meet his eye again. "There's still so much that I have to do and things I have to overcome before I can truly find myself in your crew. Can't that be reason enough, _please?"_

Sakura should have known that she wouldn't have gotten a response from that. She wouldn't even be surprised if at that moment he chose to throw her off the ship and in the sea. But instead, Luffy only continued to stare at her.

He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when the boat suddenly gave a violent shift to the side. Luffy and Sakura both grabbed onto the railing as the other side of the ship tipped dangerously onto one side. With the ship rocking back and forth so much, the rest of the crew quickly began to awake and search for the cause of their disturbance. Nami was first to spot them at the top of the stairs.

"What the heck is going on so early in the morning?"

"Don't know!" Luffy shouted, "It just happened out of nowhere!"

Zoro pulled out his swords and hesitantly walked towards one side of the Going Merry. He thrust the upper half of his body over the railing, preparing himself to get the upper hand before their attacker could react. However, before he could react in time, something large jumped out from the water and soared into the sky.

Sakura felt her knees shake in fear and surprise. "Is that a…"

"SEA BIRD!"

The Sea Bird was an extremely large sea beast. The size of its body clearly larger than their tiny little ship. The beast's feathers looked like scales, ranging from all types of different colors and shinning elegantly in the sunlight. From the look of it, Sakura would have stopped to marvel at it's beauty. That was before the Sea Bird opened it's large and long beak and let out a vicious screech.

"It's gonna attack!" Usopp shouted, ducking for cover.

Just as he had expected, the Sea Bird began to extend its wings and flapped to keep its place in the air. Nearly sweeping the ship away in the process.

Sakura was forced to hold the railing in order to keep from being swept into the air. Her heart stopped when she heard the ship give a pained creak at being jostled back and forth. For a moment, it almost felt like it was ready to come apart.

"The ship can't handle this kind of pressure." Nami cried, "At this rate it could be pulled apart."

"Somebody do something!" Chopper screeched.

The Sea Bird tucked a wing close to its body and left the other out and open to keep it in the air.

"What's it doing?" Sanji asked.

"Getting ready to attack." Sakura replied, watching as the scales on the Sea Bird's wing began to shift. In one swift motion, the bird flapped its wing, sending a barrage of razor sharp scales down on the tiny ship. Sanji managed to pull Nami with him back into the storage room just in time to dodge the scales deadly attack. The rest of the crew managed to move on their own out of the way, all except Chopper who had found it that moment to hide on the _wrong _side of the mast.

"Chopper!" Luffy cried, "Get out of the way!"

But the reindeer didn't seem to hear him, his animal instincts locked on the source of the danger. Deep down he knew he should move, but he couldn't find the strength to do so. The only thing he could do was close his eyes and wait for the impact.

At the last moment, Sakura found herself making a mad dash towards the reindeer. Plucking him out of the way of the scales and cradling him safely in her arms as she dodged the rest of the falling scales. The ninja pumped chakra into the balls of her feet and leapt off the mast to land on the stairs, far from harm.

Once he was sure he was sure the two were safe and accounted for, Luffy sent a glare at the bird.

"You've got a lot of nerve going after my nakama and hurting our ship like that." He growled.

Sakura could only watch as Luffy stretched his arms far behind him, extending until his limbs could go as far as possible. Luffy then hunched forward, pulling at his arms until they flew past him and towards the Sea Bird. With his palms raised, Luffy sent a devastating blow to the Sea Bird's neck, sending it flying through the air. Sakura was no where near concerned with the ear piercing scream the bird released as it was knocked back into the ocean. She was too concerned with watching Luffy in the midst of his battle.

Although he was small in size, looking at him from behind made him seem broader in his back and shoulders. Just like Naruto had looked all those years ago when Sakura would watch him from the sidelines. Each time she saw him fight, she felt like an outsider witnessing a secret technique and it hurt her each time when she was unable to gain the knowledge needed to fight along side him.

_Sasuke…_

Luffy landed on the ship swiftly and turned to greet his crew.

_Naruto…_

His joyous smile returning to his face as Usopp and Nami gave him a hefty pat on the back.

_I've met another incredibly person like you guys._

"Hey, Sakura!" A voice shouted at her.

From across the ship, Luffy ran towards her at full speed, a strange gleam in his dark eyes. The straw hat stretched his arms the remainder of the distance they were apart and grabbed onto her shoulders. Frozen in surprise, Sakura braced herself as Luffy gravitated towards her.

"I didn't know you could walk on walls and move so fast like that!" Luffy shouted, "You have to join my crew now, _come on, _join us."

"Bu-But…"

"_Come on~" _Luffy wailed, "You're like the strongest girl I know.."

Sakura gasped as in vivid detail, flashbacks from the past clouded her vision. Naruto's smiling face seemed to mix with Luffy's, making it difficult for her to tell which one was real or not. The way they acted, the way they spoke, it was like staring at a twin.

"_Sakura-chan you're so strong."_

"I couldn't even see you for a moment, you were so fast!"

"_Where'd you learn how to do that? Can you teach me?"_

"_Sakura-chan, I know I'll be okay with you right there."_

"Hey, Sakura let's-"

"STOP IT!" Sakura shouted, swinging her arms out and slapping Luffy away. He was pushed back a few steps but still managed to stay on his feet. "Please, just stop Luffy."

"But.."

"I can't be apart of this crew!" Sakura cried. Her head was down and her bangs fell over her eyes, but everyone could tell she was crying. It was easy to tell from the quiver in her voice and the way her shoulders shook with every word. "I'm just not ready for it."

Nami stepped forward to the girl, trying to provide comfort. "Sakura it's ok-"

Sakura held up her hand, instantly quieting the navigator. "But I hope you can find it in your heart, to still welcome me back when I am ready."

The kunoichi looked up when she heard no one respond to her request. She looked around at the group surrounding her and was surprised to see the mixture of bright and understanding smiles returned to her. Everyone seemed accepting of her decision, everyone except for Luffy. The straw hat leader was quiet for a moment until he finally started laughing.

"Fine." He said, "I'll wait until you're ready."He held out his hand for Sakura to take, but she could only stare at it in confusion and awe.

"W-What's this?"

Luffy grinned at her, "It's a promise. To meet up again and go on our adventure together when you are ready."

Sakura felt the tears flow from her eyes like a waterfall. Relief washed over her and made her knees buckle but she was still able to stay up long enough to give Luffy's hand a firm shake.

"It's a promise."

Suddenly, Sanji clapped his hands, gaining everyone's attention. "Now, that that is all settled and over with, shall we have some breakfast?"

"We'll adjust the sails." Zoro said, grabbing a hold of Luffy and Usopp's collars before they could get away. The swordsman glared at Nami, "Are you going to point the way or not?"

"Lose that attitude, Zoro!" Nami snapped, but glanced at her log pose, making the calculations needed to point them in the correct direction.

From afar, Sakura continued to watch as everyone ran about the ship, fussing over big and little things and even their own personal issues. It seemed so natural for them to just go about their business, yelling and laughing at each other like they didn't almost come across a near death experience. And through it all, Sakura couldn't help but feel completely out of place. Everyone had something to do on this ship, all except for her. She surely did not belong with this crew.

Suddenly, Sakura felt someone pull at her sleeping shorts. She looked down and into the tearful face of Chopper, who she hadn't realized never left her side after she had rescued him. She leaned down and cradled the tiny reindeer into her arms as he sniffled into her shoulder.

"T-Thank you, Sakura." He whimpered, "I almost thought I was a goner."

Sakura smiled at him and gave him a quick squeeze before returning him to his feet.

She didn't belong with this crew, but she knew sooner than later, she would.

* * *

_Random Island_

A dark haired teen sighed as he kicked a leaf at the side of his post. He had been standing there in that same spot before dawn and still nothing had happened. Nothing ever happened on this island because all of their visitors never ventured this far. It was pointless to keep watch here and he just knew everyone else felt the same way. When he decided to join the military, he expected some sort of action and excitement. He wanted to fight pirates and get the attention from all the girls that watched. And yet, here he was, on an island filled with plants and animals, but no girls. Some marine base this was.

"What a boring life." He whispered with a sigh.

"BORING?" A familiar voice shouted from behind him, making him all the other people near him grimace.

"There is nothing boring about taking the righteous stand against all evil that might oppose us." A tall and slender man came into view from behind the dark haired marine. The man had jet black hair shaped into a bowl cut and white teeth stretched in a bright smile. He wore a dark, green, one piece jumpsuit that clearly made his skinny features show. Though beneath his unflattering stature, the white vest he wore was clearly upon worthy shoulders. It was a garment only meant for a marine captain worthy of the title.

"You are the might Post Guard. You must be swift, courageous, and stern. These are the seeds needed to empower and grow all of that untapped youth within you, my dear boy." The man said, "Understand the importance of your position will help you obtain eternal youth!"

"Yes, Captain Guy." The boy mumbled, and with a sigh, he turned back to facing the endless mounds of trees and wildlife. At least, that was what he thought would happen when he turned around. Instead, in front of him stood an exact replica of Captain Guy, although significantly smaller and with larger black eyes.

"Ensign Lee!" The soldier gasped, stumbling away in surprise.

"You are not doing it properly." The smaller man bellowed.

"Huh?"

'Lee' pointed a finger at the shaken soldier. "You must have your head held high and have it void of any negative emotions. Do you wish to forever hold that frown upon your face?"

"U-Um…no?"

"Then carry on valliantly!" Lee shouted, bounding himself into the air and over the teen in order to stand at Guy's side. "And you will gain the fruits of youth!"

"The two, Guy and Lee, turned on their sides and gave the teenage marine similar smiles and a thumbs up. The marine felt a bead of sweat drop down the side of his head from how uncomfortable the sight made him feel. Sometimes he forgot how strange the ranked officers of their base, G-89, could be. It was a shame that the only normal officers were far off the island back at Headquarters.

_"Oh, Lieutenant Hyuuga, please return quickly!"_

* * *

Going Merry

"Land ho!" Usopp shouted from the bird's eye.

Sakura looked up in surprise by the shout and turned to Nami, "Are we stopping?"

"Yes." Nami nodded at her and turned to Chopper waiting by the helm. "Chopper, turn the helm, we're going to check out that island."

"AYE!"

"It doesn't look like much." Sakura said. The island was small from where she could see it, and it didn't look like it was inhabited by any people. There was a vast array of trees and wildlife but that was pretty much it.

Noticing her confusion, Nami spoke up. "Usually, we stop at any island we pass to stock up on supplies."

'What do you look for?"

Nami smiled. "Food and water. Plus anything that sparks our interest."

Sakura continues to forget that she is not amongst ordinary people anymore. These people were pirates and although they were good people, they were still thieves and "enemies" of the sea. It was only natural that they would go looking for an adventure on some random island.

A few moments later the crew and Sakura had arrived on the island with ease. For such a small crew, Sakura was surprised they were able to handle the ship so well and efficiently.

"What is this place?" Sakura asked as she and the others surrounded the small beach area. There wasn't much to see but Chopper and Luffy managed to find some enjoyment out of it. Nami seemed to be pointedly ignoring them as they swung from branch to branch, hollering and screaming at each other.

"I can't find a name for the island but it does show up on the map." Sanji said.

"Doesn't matter." Nami said, "We'll scout the area for food as the main priority. Don't do anything crazy, we don't know who or what could be on this island. So keep a low profile. If anything else comes up, you _MUST _meet us back here. We'll each take two hours to look around. _TWO!"_

The navigator was sending a rather nasty glare in the direction of Luffy. Sakura guessed it was a normal occurrence for him to just run off. The entire time she was speaking she had never taken her eyes off of Luffy. For a navigator, Nami seemed to be the captain more than anyone else. And Luffy seemed completely okay with that, he almost looked threatened by her.

_Such a strange crew, _Sakura thought.

"Sakura-chan."

Sakura looked at Nami. "Yes?"

"Sanji and I are going to cover this side of the island, while the others check the rest." Nami gave her a weary gaze. "Will you be okay by yourself at the ship?"

Sakura thought for a moment. Although she told the crew she wouldn't be joining them, that didn't mean she couldn't help them around for a bit during her stay.

The pink haired ninja grabbed one of the food bags in the sand and smiled at the navigator, "How about I give you guys a hand?"

Nami smiled brightly in return. "Oh, I hoped you would say that. I really need someone to keep an eye on Zoro. He tends to get lost very easily."

"Shut up woman, I don't need a baby sitter."

The navigator clearly ignored him and turned to Usopp, "Then can you watch over the ship while we're away. Chopper can go with Luffy to collect any supplies on the island."

"Perfect!" Usopp cheered and waved as he ran back towards the ship. "I can finally get some work done with you guys gone."

"You're supposed to be watching the ship, not goofing off." Zoro grumbled, but softened his features slightly as he turned to Sakura. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah." Sakura nodded, and stepped up beside him. "Let's get going."

"Sanji and I are going to cover this side of the island. You go with Zoro and cover the other side. Luffy and Chopper will go down the center. ZORO! Stay. With. Sakura-chan!"

"I got it, I got it!"

"You take care of Sakura-chan, marimo! Or I'll kick you down if she get's hurt!"

"Shut up already!"

"Don't be gone for too long you guys. Remember,_ two hours!"_

"Have a safe trip guys!"

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at the pirates' parting words as she waved back at their fading faces. It was a delight seeing love struck Sanji adamantly wave good bye to her, and Luffy and Chopper shouting her name until finally disappearing. It felt nice knowing she would have them to return to once this was all over. It was too bad that she would be leaving them when the opportunity struck. She knew she would miss their company and friendship the most of all.

* * *

_Center of the Island_

"Captain Guy," The jumpsuit wearing man looked up from his desk. "It's nine o'clock, sir. Would you like to send the troops for the early morning sweep?"

Guy looked up and out the window behind his desk. "Hm, the sun is looking mighty spiteful this morning. Wait another hour and let them go."

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh and tell Ensign Lee to go with them."

* * *

_Far side of the Island_

Sakura couldn't help but release another side as she walked. It felt like their path was never ending. The entire time they had been walking, they had yet to find anything remotely good enough to eat. The longer they continued to walk, the harder it became for Sakura to keep up. She had never been on a summer island before, but she knows all there was to possibly know about them. However, none of the books were able to prepare her for the grueling weather and the terrible terrain that came with these summer islands.

She was sweating in way too many areas to be considered comfortable. If she knew how bad the weather would be, she wouldn't have been too embarrassed to take the crop top Nami offered her before. She would have gladly taken the embarrassment over this ridiculous heat. To make matters worse, Nami's shoes did noting to support her during this trek through the island. Although the clothes she gave her were cute, she could really do without the shoes.

"_They're for fashion."_ Nami had told her when she tried to complain. _"They're not meant for running a marathon."_

A glance towards Zoro only added to Sakura's growing attitude. She was beginning to understand why Nami was so adamant about someone staying with him. Zoro was definitely not the best navigator nor was he capable of following directions. Nearly five minutes into their travels, he had made ridiculous and strange turns without notice. Sakura was forced to walk behind him just in case he walked away again.

Sakura huffed to herself. With all of these issues pilling up, she was beginning to wonder about the safety of this crew. Though abnormal for their special characteristics and their own strengths, they were a menace to each other and when they were alone. It was a wonder this crew had even made it this far.

Lost in her thoughts, Sakura accidentally got her foot caught in an upturned root. She let out a small cry, preparing herself to hit the dirt when she felt strong arms wrap around her.

"Do you need help there?"

Green eyes looked up in surprise at the older swordsman. Zoro laughed at her confused expression but stopped when she pushed him away in anger.

"I don't need your help, thank you."

Zoro watched her stand with narrowed and irritated eyes but he didn't bother to voice his anger. Deep down he knew he shouldn't have laughed at her for tripping, but he wasn't one to baby someone just because they were a girl. Kuina had beat that into him many years ago during their training together. He figured Sakura was thinking the same thing from the way she just smacked his hand away.

"We haven't seen a single decent fruit or animal anywhere. Is it just grass and leaves here?"

Zoro shrugged. "Who knows? But we do have half an hour until we have to return to the ship. Let's make the most of it."

The pink haired girl glared at his back as the swordsman walked away, but silently began to follow after him without another word. Something told her to feel bad for acting so rude to him when he was only trying to help. She just couldn't help it. This heat was beginning to work her nerves and do all types of things to her emotions.

She could still feel her body tremor from the way Zoro had held her so tightly. Sakura couldn't tell if it was because of the heat glaring down at them, or something else. The ninja decided not to think much about it as she struggled to keep up with Zoro. Much to her dismay, she was once again falling behind and forced to stare at someone so much stronger than her from behind. Was she really so useless?

The longer they continued to walk, the more Sakura felt her energy being swept away. She struggled to climb over obstacles in their path and cut down the shrubs that blocked the way. Her dull kunai couldn't even compare to Zoro's sharp blades. The plants just slipped against her kunai, making her put in more effort just to cut through.

"Maybe we should just turn back?" Zoro said. He was standing at the top of a small hill, looking down at Sakura failing to climb after him. She had been going at it for quite sometime now, refusing any help Zoro had to offer.

"What for?" Sakura snapped. They had already come this far, there was no way they were going back empty handed.

Zoro hadn't answered her. He seemed too busy staring at something behind her.

Sakura felt her anger rising. "_Hello?_ Did you hear me?"

The swordsman could only point behind the girl as he stared in awe. With an irritated growl, the girl turned around to see what he was pointing at and gasped. Standing at the side of their small hill was a large clearing beside a river. And beside that river were rows of trees filled with various fruits. The two were down the hill and running towards the river before another word was spoken.

Sakura's instincts kicked in the moment Zoro stuck his head into the water. "Wait, you idiot!" She cried, grabbing at his collar. "You don't know if that water is contaminated or not!"

"Don't care." Zoro said, "My body is strong enough to kill any stupid virus."

"What about-"

"You're thirsty aren't you?" Zoro interrupted her.

Sakura nodded. "Then take a drink. You constantly hesitating will only make things worse for you. Sometimes you just gotta take risks."

The pink haired girl looked at him wearily, but leaned over anyway to take her own sip out of the river. The relief the cold sensation brought to her body made her mewl in pleasure. The entire time she was enjoying herself, she failed to notice the satisfied expression on Zoro's face.

"Well, let's get working then." He said, stepping away from the river and towards the many trees that surrounded them.

"We don't have much time until we have to be back at the ship."

Zoro smirked, "Then let's make this quick."

Sakura watched as the man pulled out his swords and began to ran up a particularly large tree in the clearing. She was left speechless when in one swift swing, he cut down several fruit from their branches. The entire time he was moving from tree to tree, Sakura noticed that he was not using chakra in order to move about. This was all pure skill he was using.

_I found another great person, guys. _Sakura whispered in the safety of her mind, _"But I refuse to fall too far behind anymore."_

Pulling a handful of her best shuriken out of her pouch, Sakura whipped them at a few of the nearby trees. One by one the fruit began to fall from the tree's canopy and into her bag until it was completely full. Sakura smiled triumphantly and turned back to Zoro, hopefully to see a impressed expression. However, the swordsman was suddenly nowhere to be seen.

Sakura felt her teeth grind in irritation. When did he find the time to suddenly go missing?

Just as she was about to call his name, she heard a branch snap not too far away from her. Grabbing her stuffed bag of fruits, Sakura crawled behind a shrub and held her breath. The sound of movement could be heard as marine soldiers stepped into the clearing.

"Man, yet another steaming hot day." A marine griped, as he picked up an apple from the ground. His partner, a smaller marine, glared at him in disbelief as he took a large bite through the unclean apple.

"Yeah, I know but it beats having to listen to the captain's speech about youth until training."

The other marine nodded. "That's true." He threw the half eaten apple to the ground and stretched. "Well, let's join the others at the beach so we can head back to base."

Sakura bit her lip, holding back the curse she so desperately wanted to scream. Of course the island they decided to visit would be crawling with marines. And if they were all meeting up at the beach, it was only a matter of time until the ship was swarmed with soldiers. Sakura clenched her fists in the dirt. She had to do something before her friends were captured or even worse. But the only question was how?

Sakura jumped to her feet as an idea popped in her mind. _Maybe I can distract them and draw them away from the ship? _The pink haired girl shook her head at the thought, there was no way she could find every marine before they meet at the ship.

_Think Sakura…_She shouted to herself. _Think! Where could Zoro have gone at such an important time like this? Especially when she needed him!_

"_You constantly hesitating will only make things worse for you. Sometimes you just gotta take risks."_

_Take a risk. _Sakura nodded to herself, _Just do something! Stop thinking!_

Sakura found herself moving before she could even decide what to do next. The only thing she knew she had to do was find her friends before it was too late. It didn't matter if she met up with Usopp first at the ship or bumped into someone on the way there, she just needed to get to someone.

* * *

_Ensign Lee_

Lee always enjoyed the morning sweeps through the island. Though their path was always a difficult to just walk through, Lee took everything in stride and managed to overcome them without much of an issue. It was the soldiers that walked with him that seemed to have the most trouble. Not many people chose to trek along side Lee through the island, but he commended those that did try. It showed that they were capable candidates for Captain Guy's training just like he was.

This is what made this island so great. The rigorous training and passionate ambitions of the youth that he fought along side were the only things he would ever need. Yes, Lee was definitely happy on base G-89 and nothing could ever change that.

At least, that was what he thought until he noticed a strange figure in the distance. From where he stood, he noticed that the figure had to have been a girl, dashing through the jungle like a fairy dancing in the wind. Her long pink hair flapping in the wind as her emerald eyes glittered in the sunlight. For a moment, her beauty was all he could see and comprehend, until she was suddenly gone.

"Ensign Lee?" A marine panted from beside him, the journey through the jungle clearly too much for him to handle. "W-What's wrong?"

"Did you see it?" Lee whispered.

"See what?"

"The most beautiful creature I have ever seen…"

The marine stared at him for a moment before turning his attention back to his fellow teammates. "I think the heat is finally getting to him. Should we call the base?"

But before anyone could respond to the marine, Lee had taken off on a mad dash towards the direction the "fairy" had disappeared.

"Ensign Lee!?" The marine called. "Where are you going?"

Another marine stepped up his confused teammate, "Did he say he saw something?"

"Yeah, some beautiful creature or something like that."

The marine hummed to himself, "Maybe we should call the base, just in case." Just as the marine turned around to receive the Den Den Mushi from another marine. He stopped however, when he felt a pair of eyes watching him from afar. He turned slightly, inclining his head just so until he saw the straw hat boy watching him from the bushes. They stared at each other for a moment as the realization suddenly dawned on the young marine.

He struggled to make a noise, or do something that would get his teammates to pay attention but he was frozen in surprise. Even the young pirate watching him seemed to be surprised and paralyzed with fear judging from the way he was practically sweating bullets. Just as he found the strength within him to scream, the pirate stood up and pulled back his fist. The marine gawked in surprise as the other boy's arm seemingly stretched far beyond humanly possible and whipped it around to smack his fast into the marine's chin.

With a loud thump, the marine went flying into a near by tree and fell to the ground in a motionless heap.

"What the hell happened?!"

"Are you okay!?"

"How'd he get all the way over there. And what the hell happened to his face?"

The marines all collected around the fallen soldier, holding him up right and slapping him on his bruised face to get a reaction out of him. But he was frozen still and nearly unconscious from whatever blow clipping him in the face.

"P-Pira-,"He whimpered. "Pir-"

* * *

_Sakura_

Sakura was never much of a fast runner until she had her chakra to pick up the pace. She easily was outmatched by Naruto and Sasuke during races and stamina tests. However, none of them could pass her when it came to her complete control over chakra. This is what Sakura excelled in and it clearly showed as she breezed through the trees of the jungle closer and closer towards the beach. She could practically see the ocean from where she was running. And if she squinted a little hard enough, she could also see the clear shape of the Going Merry still docked safe and sound on the beach. Just a few more steps and she was s-

"Hello there." Sakura felt her entire body freeze in place as she gawked at the man that suddenly appeared in front of her. Using her chakra infused feet, she pushed off the branch she was sitting on and leaped away to a tree farther away. From there she was able to get a closer look at the strange man.

"W-Who are you?"

"I am Ensign Lee, of Marine Base G-89." The bowl haired man said, "And who might you be? I have never seen you before on this island. Have you always lived here?"

All of the energy in Sakura's body completely drained from her body at the strange man's words. He was from the marines and an 'Ensign' at that. He clearly wasn't like any of the foot soldiers Sakura saw earlier. He was completely on a different level.

"Miss?" Sakura snapped her head up only to jump away in surprise when she realized the marine had gotten closer to her.

_When did he move,_ she thought in surprise. _I didn't even feel his presence change!_

"Miss, are you okay?" Lee reached out to her but before he could touch her, a loud voice cried out.

"_PIRATES!"_

* * *

**_Omg, I am DONE! This chapter took a lot of work to get it where I wanted it to be. Though I can't say I am actually happy with it. I wanted more for it but I guess I had to cut it short because it would have just been too much to put all in one chapter. I'm sorry if it seemed confusing, I promise things will make more sense later on (next chapter). _**

**_Questions:_**

**_Couples: I'm still fighting with myself as to what the couple will be. But I think I made it pretty clear in this chapter who it was...or did I? Anyway, I am taking all options into account, even some that you probably wouldn't think about. So, prepare to be amazed._**

**_Robin &amp; Vivi: I CHANGED EVERYTHING! Not really, the only thing I changed was the Alabasta arc and when it was supposed to start. I felt like it was too much adding Vivi in Sakura's tale so I took her out. Thus pushing her arrival back. At this point, I am still contemplating whether or not I want to continue this fic to follow the One Piece story or just end it after Sakura's tale. Unfortunately, this also means the crew has yet to meet Robin yet. I'm sorry I didn't make this clear the first chapter. So right now, just know that the crew befriended Chopper the same way they did in the canon, but just without Vivi._**

**_World: So in this crossover, the Naruto world and One Piece world are merged together. Although they are two completely different worlds, I mixed them together which is why Guy and Lee are now apart of the marines. Their story will all be explained later on (next chapter), so you really just have to go with the flow of the story. Think of it like how Naruto and One Piece originally are, all the questions and ideas slowly begin to intertwine and make sense the more you read it, right? So you have to stay tuned. Think of it like the Dragon Ball Z and One Piece crossover manga. (If you don't know what that is look it up.)_**

**_Sakura: Because I am still fighting whether this fic should continue or not, I still want Sakura to have some sort of character development. So, no she does not have her Strength of a Hundred Seal. Think of her as just getting out of the Chunnin exams, she's still a capable ninja but with very little experience and knowledge like she has in Shippuden. I hope you will enjoy the character Sakura grows into be. I don't want to change her too much, but just enough to make her apart of my story. _**

**_Again, I am sorry for all of the confusion. I hope to see you all again in the next chapter._**

**_Please review!_**

**_XOXO Happy Birthday Sakura XOXO_**


	5. Wild Heart and Mind part 2

_**PLEASE READ ME!**_

_I know people like to cut through the author's note but I promise I'm not just saying stuff just to say it. I'm answering questions for everyone and giving a brief recap of each summary.** Please remember, **the Naruto and One Piece world have been combined together. I didn't major dramatic changes to the One Piece characters but the Naruto characters are. Which is why Guy and Lee are apart of the marines. I didn't want the world so separate so I intermixed them. _

_Thank you to all that reviewed! Stick around for the Author's note at the end. (It's brief, don't worry)_

_Enjoy_

* * *

Chapter 5:

_Wild Heart and Mind part 2_

"_Pirates!" _

Sakura instantly tensed into a fighting position, prepared to go into attack mode if necessary. All the while trying to calculate who it was that managed to be spotted by the marines. She worried if they had been captured, or maybe something even worse. The moment she was ready to run and find her friends, the Ensign was suddenly even closer to her, nearly inches away from her face. Sakura gasped, swiping her fist at the man in an uppercut. He easily dodged the blow, giving her the chance to jump away and put a decent distance between them.

Lee raised his hands like he was trying to seem harmless. "I apologize." He said, "I did not mean to frighten you." The man with the bowl cut turned his back to Sakura, motioning towards the marine insignia on the back of his vest.

"I'm a marine. You don't have to be afraid."

"I'm not scared of you." Sakura said defiantly.

The marine looked confused for a moment. "Then is it the pirates you are worried about?" Sakura quirked a brow at him in confusion.

"The expression your making." He said. "Such a beautiful face should never be tainted with an expression of fear and worry."

Lee jutted his hand out and flicked his wrist into a thumbs-up. He grinned at Sakura, nearly blinding her with his perfectly bright teeth. Sakura felt her self get nauseous from how dorky this guy managed to become in a short amount of time. He was exhausting to keep up with, especially with those _expressive _eyebrows.

"There's no need to worry I will protect you!"

"What are you talking about? I'm not-" Sakura cut herself off. This was a grand opportunity for her to get all the info she needed without causing a scuffle. Fortunately, it seemed that Lee did not know she was _with _Luffy and the others. This was her chance to use Lee to her advantage. It was a crazy plan but Zoro did say to take 'risks'.

_"This is as big as a risk can get if I actually get caught," _Sakura thought wearily.

"I'm not afraid now that I have you here with me, Ensign Lee." Sakura gushed, "I'm glad I have a capable marine by my side now."

It was cheesy and completely overdone, but from the look on Lee's face, he was pleased with himself. Sakura guessed that was what kind of expression he was making. It was hard to say with his round beady eyes staring emotionlessly back at her. His thick eyebrows surprisingly still for the moment. Then he blushed.

"Perfect." He said, "Then shall w-"

The man was interrupted by a deep voice making a strange but repetitive noise. He dug a hand into his vest and pulled out a grey Den Den Mushi.

"Yes?"

"_Sir," _The Den Den Mushi seemed to come to life as the voice of another appeared. _"We have captured and apprehended a pirate not too far from base. However, another one managed to escape."_

Lee nodded as if he was expecting something like this. Sakura did notice that he had been surprisingly calm despite learning there were pirates in the area. Now he was acting like this was a natural occurrence. Clearly, something was off about this strange marine.

"Good work. I have a civilian with me so I probably will not arrive to interrogate the culprit for a moment. Keep the pirate apprehended until I arrive."

"_YES SIR!"_

"While you are at it, please inform Captain Guy that the situation is detained and request a new squadron to help patrol the island for anymore pirates. There has to be a ship anchored somewhere."

_"Understood, sir."_

Sakura asked, as the man put away his Den Den Mushi. "You're going to interrogate the pirate?"

Lee gave a stiff nod. "But I will do so after safely transporting you to the base."

"I want to come with you!"

Lee slowly quirked a suspicious thick brow."Why?"

"I-I'm curious." Sakura stammered. "I've never seen an interrogation before or a pirate."

All lies.

Sakura has definitely seen her fair share of interrogations before and during the war. She even participated in a few of her own when the time called for it. But Lee didn't know that. He considered her to be a 'civilian', someone completely incapable of being a threat.

"Unfortunately, I cannot complete your request. " Lee said, "That would be strictly against protocol and dangerous for your well being."

"I can handle myself, thank you very much. "Sakura snapped.

Lee's brows gave a disturbing wiggle. "Oh? What can you do?"

Sakura pulled out a kunai and with a flick of her wrist, launched at Lee. The marine did not move, allowing the blade to slice through a section of his hair and imbed itself onto the tree behind him.

"Don't get confused." Sakura growled, "I'm not some weak little girl who needs protection!"

The marine was silent for a moment, his dark eyes scanning Sakura without a word. The other girl was forced to suppress her disgust as his eyebrows wiggled and his lip began to quiver. The sight made Sakura weary for a moment. Did he catch her lies? Was he going to attac-.

The wiggling of Lee's eyebrows had finally stopped but only right after his nose began to flow with a steady stream of blood. It was thick and poured from his nose like a faucet. Even though his nose was bleeding at such an alarming rate, Lee had yet to move or do anything to contain seepage. Sakura had to blink to see if her eyes had not deceived her.

She blinked again and the blood was still there."A-Are you okay?"

"Forgive me." The marine sounded weak, almost as if he was ready to pass out right before her. "I've never seen such a gorgeous woman like you, so gracious and courageous all in one form. You're like a gift from the heavens."

Sakura's eye twitched. "_Could this man really be any cheesier," _she wondered.

"How many women have you seen exactly," asks Sakura.

"Only two."

"REALLY?"

"There is only one female marine officer at this base, although she is away at the moment." Lee said, "And you will be the second I have met as of today."

"How have you only seen two women in your entire life?"

Lee hummed thoughtfully to himself, "Shall I tell you on our way to the interrogation? It isn't very long."

* * *

_It was a stormy night like many they had received every year. The clouds were pitch black, casting their gorgeous paradise into a dark abyss. The only source of light they could find came from the streaks of white lightning flashing in the sky. The storm had appeared on them faster than they had expected. Marines, left and right, began to scramble for all the materials they could find before they were able to return to their base. The process took much longer as they were beginning to grow low in numbers. The men were being thrown around due to the storm's savage wind and many had gotten to close to the beach and were knocked away. Men in white struggled to latch onto one another and carry the injured away, as the storm reached a hazardous state. _

_Standing where the water reached the sand was Captain Guy. He stared at the roaring waves and listened to the clap of thunder like he was mesmerized. Although there were several storms like these, there was something about this storm that perplexed Guy. He didn't know if it was the whistling of the wind or the crashing of the waves that had caught his attention. But there was something out there calling out to him._

_"Captain Guy!" A marine shouted at him from the safety of the trees. "What are you doing? We need to get out of here!"_

_Guy never turned around, continuing to stare out at the sea. "I'm needed here. You return to base without me."_

_"But sir, this storm is-"_

_"GO!"_

_He could hear the sound of their scuffling feet scramble to get away but it put his mind at ease. This storm was getting worse and he knew his men wouldn't be able to handle the brunt of it if they had stayed and waited like he did. There were just some things people weren't able to handle like he could. _

_After fifteen minutes had passed, Guy decided it was just his imagination deceiving him once again and turned to return to the ship. He stopped not a moment later when the shrill cry of an young infant. It was faint but his ears was able to hear it clearly through the storm's chaotic noises. Guy was in the water before he could really think about his actions. As soon as his head broke through the surface after his dive, he swam in the direction he heard the crying coming from. _

_Only a few minutes into swimming, Guy came across several broken pieces of wood scattered around him. There were other items like torn cloth and jewels floating about with the rest of the debris. The waves sent more wood at him and large structures that appeared to come from a ship also appeared. He saw the mast and the torn sails, dodging them all as some had been lit on fire._

_"Was there a ship wreck?" He thought to himself continuing to swim faster until he saw something moving towards him in the distance. It was moving slow but still moving nonetheless. Guy slowed his pace, inspecting the figure he could see but not quite give a clear description of. The figure suddenly passed one of the burning wood, allowing him to see who it was crying in the water. _

_It was a little boy, long dark hair stuck to his and his tiny body as fought to stay afloat in the chaotic waves. He was using a stray piece of wood to keep him up and his right hand to paddle across the ocean. He was breathing hard and crying like he was running from something trying to catch him. He didn't even seem to see Guy floating right in front of him, watching him like had grown two heads. The man wasn't acknowledged until the tiny boy's 'ship' had bumped into Guy's chest. The wood instantly broke in half from the collision, sending the boy sinking into the ocean. Guy managed to grab on to him and cradle him in his arms for a much needed rest. The boy didn't resist, crying softly now as he relaxed in Guy's embrace._

_"Rest, young one." He said to the exhausted boy, "You've done well."_

_And like that, the young child succumbed to his fatigue and fell unconscious. Guy continued to stare at the boy as he slept, surprised that such a tiny young boy, probably no younger than two years old had survived this long in a storm on the sea. It was a feat he wasn't sure his own marines would be able to accomplish. This boy was truly remarkable, but he couldn't help but wonder why he was at sea all alone in the first place. _

_A ship that had been hidden by the darkness of the night had suddenly appeared in plain view not too far from them. It was large in size and obviously heavily armed judging from all of the cannons lined around it. But it was the Jolly Roger that Guy was quick to notice, that ship there was a pirate ship. Now everything was starting to make sense._

_Quietly he slunk away, taking protection on one side of the floating mast to avoid being spotted. The pirate ship cruised on along seemingly unaware of Guy and his newfound charge. From behind it, watching as the ship disappeared into the darkness, Guy realized he di__dn't recognize who the Jolly Roger was representing but he promised to have it engraved in his mind forever. _

* * *

"I've been with Guy-sensei ever since."

"You've never been off the island?"

Lee shook his head, "Yes, I have but I've only ever known this island as my home. I never knew my family or my parents and captain made sure to remind that he was my teacher. Never my father. But I know my home is wherever he is.'

Lee turned to look at Sakura. "Did you have a teacher?"

"I did." Sakura smiled. "He was almost the same as yours. When my parents died, he didn't really change or try to take over as my dad. I still like to think he was though."

The marine was quiet for a moment. "What happened to him?" Lee asked.

"Huh?"

"You said 'he was'," Lee's voice was significantly quieter. "Did something happened to him?"

Sakura turned her attention back to the trees they sped past. "I'm not really sure. I haven't heard from him in quite sometime. I hate to believe it, but there really is no chance that he is still alive. Some bad people probably already got to him."

"I'm…" Lee paused. "I'm really sorry to hear that. My teacher believes that it was a group of pirates that probably attacked my parents and never survived the storm. They died for nothing and ever since then I vowed to fight against every pirate I come across. And end those that attacked my family."

Sakura did her best not to swallow in fear. "Not all pirates are bad."

Lee narrowed his eyes at her. "I will never believe that. If a person can share the title as 'pirates' with murderers than I want nothing to do with them. But I will not hesitate to strike them down if they chose to do so. "

Sakura held his gaze steadily, "I am a ninja of Konoha, sworn protector of the village hidden in the leaves. People like me, soldiers of my homeland, killed my parents. Does that make me a bad person for sharing the same title as them?"

_"Konoha?" _Lee thought quietly to himself. _"Why does that name seem so familiar?"_

Sakura gave a polite cough, breaking Lee from his reverie. He awkwardly shifted, embarrassed for revealing the emotions he tried so hard to contain. It wasn't his intention to cause an argument.

"I-I apologize for my rudeness. If there is anything I can do, please let me know."

Emerald eyes narrowed at him. "I wont need anyone's help anymore. I refuse to let any of my friends or loved ones get hurt anymore. I made a promise to get stronger and I don't plan to go back on that now."

Lee stopped in their dash through the forest's canopies. He turned to Sakura with a smile. Leaning close, he grabbed her smaller hands in his own.

"I have faith in you."

"Huh?"

"I know that you can handle it. You're a bright and courageous young woman. And in such a short amount of time you have managed to catch my heart and send it in a frenzy unlike any other."

Sakura held her grimace, "_What the hell does that mean?"_

"The winds of youth have blessed you and are ready to answer your call. I know you can do anything you put your mind to."

Something emotional lodged itself in Sakura's throat. She choked for a second, struggling to smile at Lee at his heartfelt words. "Thank you, Lee. Even though some of that was confusing, I think got the message."

"I'm glad I could help."

"Shall we start over then?" Sakura stuck out her hand with a bright smile. "My name's Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

"The name is Lee. Rock Lee, actually." Lee smiled, gripping Sakura's hand in his own. "I'm excited to see who you become in the future, Sakura-san."

"You too, Lee-san."

The two turned again, ready to continue their journey towards the 'interrogation' when Lee stopped again. He turned to Sakura with a confused brow, "Now that I think about it, Sakura-san."

"Huh?" Sakura froze. "What is it?"

"What are you doing on this island anyway?"

* * *

_Nami and Sanji_

Marines ran from every direction, barking orders at each other and screaming like they were under attack. Some of the marines, the younger ones, almost looked frightened. The mere thought of pirates being on their island had scared nearly most of them to insanity. Unbeknown to them, the same pirates they were in search for had been watching them all along from the safety of the plants and bushes.

"I knew it." Nami whispered, angrily. "I knew there was something wrong with this island."

Sanji grunted. "Who would have thought it would have been a marine base though. They have to be the only ones on this island. Strange, isn't it?"

"It doesn't matter." Nami said. "They know we're here and they have one of us."

"So what do we do?"

"Stay low and head back to the ship. Once we get back there we can put some distance between us and the marines and hopefully get everyone together."

"That's a stupid plan." A voice said loudly from behind them.

The bright haired pirates each gave a squeal, surprised that someone had managed to sneak up on them when they weren't looking. Fortunately, they were smart enough not to make too much noise and give away their position. The both snapped their head around only to see Luffy smiling back at them.

"LUFFY!"

Nami grabbed him around his neck. "Don't scare me like that! I almost had a heart attack."

Luffy laughed. "Nami you're so dramatic!"

"Dramatic? I'll show you drama-."

"Ah, wait Nami-san." Sanji said softly, putting his hand on the girl's shoulder as means to calm her down. Judging from the glare she sent him, that plan didn't seem to work.

"What?!"

"I'm all for you hitting our idiot captain and all, but wasn't Luffy supposed to be with Chopper?"

Luffy and Nami gasped in unison, as the idea popped into their mind. "That's right." Nami cried, "Where the hell is Chopper?"

"That's what I was going to tell you. Your plan is stupid."

Nami shook the rubber boy violently. "What was that!?"

"We're not leaving Chopper behind." Luffy shouted, "The marines managed to grab him when I accidentally knocked him out."

"How the hell did you knock him out, dumbass!?"

"I said it was an accident!"

"Anyway, " Nami sighed. "At least we know who they have now. We just have to find Sakura-chan and Zoro and head back to the ship."

"But what about Chopper?"

Sanji smacked the boy on the head. "It's your fault he got captured in the first place but of course we're going to get him. So stop whining."

"For now, let's head back to the ship. We can regroup there." Nami stood up, running in the direction she and Sanji had first came in. "Hopefully, the other know to do the same."

* * *

_Sakura and Lee_

Sakura barely could suppress the involuntary flinch her body made at the sudden question. She tried to laugh, hoping that it would be enough to mask her awkward movement. "I-I was traveling and heard a marine base nearby was still enlisting. So here I am."

"You want to be in the marines?!" Lee nearly shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Y-Yeah." Sakura shrugged. "Sure."

"Oh, what a glorious day this is!" Lee cried, "Now I understand why you wanted to follow me and see the interrogation. Good work! You're getting your training in right before you enlist!"

_"Sure, I can go with that."_ Sakura thought, bobbing her head in Lee's direction.

Lee gave the ninja a thumbs up. "You're on your way to finding the golden youth, Sakura-san."

Sakura gave a weary nod. "G-Great! Shall we get going?"

Lee inhaled sharply and pivoted on the branch. He was gone the moment Sakura blinked. "Hurry Sakura-san, we've taken way too much time!" He cried.

The pink haired girl rubbed at the bead of sweat dripping down her neck. That was way too close for comfort, but at least she was closer to finding whoever it was the marines had captured. She pumped chakra into her feet and sped after Lee, slightly marveling at how far he managed to get away with her.

_"I've never seen someone run so fast like that. Especially without using chakra." _Sakura shook her head in disbelief. "_Each day I'm finding some amazing people outside of Konoha."_

"Ah!" A voice called from afar. "There's Ensign Lee!"

"Sorry." Lee called to the awaiting marines. "I decided to come now, instead of going to the base." Lee seemingly ran even faster, speeding much farther than Sakura to meet and greet the pack of marines waiting on the ground. He jumped, leaping gracefully into the air with a quiet landing.

A marine stepped up to him with a smile. "I'm glad you're here. We captured the-" The dark haired marine stopped talking the moment he noticed Sakura watching from the distance. He lifted his rifle and pointed it at her.

"Who are you?" He growled.

Sakura never answered as Lee was much faster at responding. He put a hand directly in front of the gun's barrel and lowered it. "Do not worry, she is on our side."

The marine relaxed slightly with a nod.

Lee nodded at him in thanks. "Now tell me about this pirate you captured."

"Well," The marine laughed a little. "It was actually his own teammate that knocked him out for us. He had this really strange super power that let him stretch his body like gum."

"What?" Lee looked confused. "How is that even possible."

"One of the soldiers managed to I.D. the pirate as Straw Hat Luffy." The dark haired marine said. "Sources say he ate that Gomu Gomu no Mi which gave him his stretchy powers."

Another marine stepped up, carrying a furry object closer to the Ensign. Sakura leaned in closer, when she realized who the man was holding.

_Chopper…_She whispered in the safety of her mind. The small doctor was tied by multiple ropes around his tiny torso. He looked peaceful knocked unconscious, but Sakura knew it wouldn't last very long.

"They almost would have gotten away, but Straw Hat wasn't looking where he was attacking and knocked this little guy right to us. I can't even explain how Straw Hat managed to get away."

"What was the point of capturing it?" Lee said, "It looks like their pet or something."

"Sir, I know this may seem really farfetched, but it talked!"

Lee seemed unfazed, which sort of disappointed the other marine. "Devil fruit?"

"Yes."

"For right now, let's get it to start talking."

Sakura hunched her body into attack mode, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. She watched as one of Lee's marines smacked a swift hand across Chopper's face, instantly awaking the defenseless reindeer.

"W-Wha-," Chopper looked around as his senses slowly came back to him. His eyes darted back and forth at the soldiers, his dark eyes collecting tears with each one he saw. He stopped however as soon as he noticed Sakura in the background.

"Sakura!" He struggled against his binds. "Help me! They'll kill me!"

The marines flinched all looking back at Sakura, but she had already disappeared from their view. She pressed chakra into her feet and dashed straight through them as soon as Chopper called for her. Sakura pulled a knife out of her pouch and swung her blade down, intending to cut across his torso. She was inches away from the marine's body when suddenly a hand wrapped around her wrist.

She wrenched her arm free and looked up at her assailant, not too surprised to see it was Lee that had stopped her.

"What is the meaning of this, Sakura-san?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, "I'm sorry I had to lie to you, Lee-san but I did mean what I said. I won't let any more people I care about get hurt." She pointed to Chopper, "And that means that little guy over there."

"But he's affiliated with pirates." Lee said, "Does that mean you're a-"

Sakura interrupted him, "A pirate?" She smiled with a shrug, "Not yet, but I will be soon enough. With enough training and some experience I think I can make the cut."

Lee looked thoughtful for a moment before giving a bob of his head. "I see. So this is some sort of initiation for you then, no?"

"Huh," said Sakura and many of the other people around them. "Wait, what?"

Lee blinked. The tips of his lips began to point down and the defiant look he gave Sakura made her flinch. Logically, Sakura knew she could have attacked him and used the distraction to grab Chopper and run. However, his eyes seemed to have locked onto her and forced her to stay in place. She could not contain her flinch and desire to move when Lee suddenly raised his hands as a sign of surrender.

"I will not fight you Sakura-san." He said, "Somehow these pirates managed to convince you to submit to their evil ways. But I know you are better than that. You can find a place here in the marines, just like me! I will help you change your ways for the better."

Sakura snorted, trying to give the impression that she wasn't the least bit worried. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"With, " Lee paused for the dramatic effect, "the power of Youth!"

Ignoring his fellow marines' groans of disgust, Lee pressed forward, swinging his arms in a circular motion. He added a quick spin for good measure and placed a hand over his mouth. He winked, removed his hand, and blew a kiss towards the pink haired ninja.

Nothing seemed to change in that moment until the wind started to collect in front of her and suddenly form a floating pink 'heart'. Sakura was more disgusted than surprised to see the floating object when a dreadful feeling screamed at her. This 'heart' was way more than harmless, she could practically feel its energy sucking her in. She managed to roll out of the way and watched as the pink heart soared into the ground behind her. There was no time to react as the heart suddenly exploded sending Sakura and several other marines flying in the midst of chaos.

"Sakura!" Chopper cried, his heart aching at the sight of the pink haired girl landing with a loud thud onto the ground. She writhed for a moment, struggling to catch her breath and ignore the pain in her abdomen. Chopper didn't even want to think about all of the wounds she could have gotten or reopened from that strike alone.

"D-Did you just hit me with a heart?!" Sakura said, incredulously.

"That was my Kiss of Youth." Lee shouted. "Powered by undying love for you, Sakura-san."

"Love? How the hell are you in love with me when we just met thirty minutes ago."

"In that short amount of time you have captivated me and left me breathless." Lee said, clutching a hand to his green jumpsuit. "Which is why I will not accept your defiance of the law. I will make you see the light, Sakura-san! Prepare yourself!"

Sakura cringed as he prepared himself to send another kiss. The next so much more worse than the last.

* * *

_Nami, Sanji, and Luffy_

Luffy let out a frustrated whine, "Nami, how much farther is it?"

"Stop complaining!" Nami shouted, just as they broke through the tree line and ran onto the beach. In the distance she could make out the Going Merry, completely unharmed and still standing. If she looked a little closer she could also see Usopp tinkering away on one of the ship's cannons.

"Usopp!" She cried, voice shaking from exertion. "Have you seen Zoro and Sakura-chan?"

Usopp looked over at her and shrugged, "No, you're the first one I have seen all day."

"Damn it," Nami shouted, "I told them two hours! Why is that so hard?!"

"What are you griping about, woman?" A familiar voice grumbled from afar.

Nami looked pleasantly surprised and ecstatic to see Zoro walking out of the tree line and towards their group. She stopped when she noticed he was definitely alone and without his pink haired companion. As if he completely did not notice, Zoro walked up to the rest of his crew and threw the large bag of fruit he carried on to the deck. Looking pleased with himself, Zoro smiled at Nami and crossed his arms. The full body image of someone waiting for their praise.

"Mission complete," said Zoro with a hint of cockiness, "Now that I've done my part I am going to go take a nap."

Without another word, Zoro turned his back to the crew and sauntered off to climb onto the ship. He didn't manage to get far due to Nami's hand on the back of his collar in a vice grip. He struggled against her and when she let go he screamed.

"What the hell is your problem!?"

"Zoro." The swordsman flinched slightly at the navigator's tone of voice. It was then he also noticed the mighty glare the chef and the sharpshooter were sending him. He didn't want to even look at Luffy, he could practically feel his captain staring daggers into the back of his head.

"W-What? What'd I do now?"

"Where the hell is Sakura-san, shitty swordsman?" Sanji shouted, "You were supposed to stay with her!"

The green haired man tried to think about it but his mind could only draw a blank. The more and more he tried to remember the more frustrated he became. Did he really leave her behind?

"Well, it's her fault for not keeping up with me!" Zoro yelled.

The chef stepped up to him, snagged a hand roughly onto Zoro's collar, and tugged him close. The swordsman answered the glare he received from Sanji, but did nothing to pull away from his hold. He could tell the blonde was extremely angry, but he couldn't find himself to care because of his ridiculous reasoning.

"That's all you can say, you shitty marimo," growled Sanji, "You left a _lady_ out there all alone with a army of marines and that's all you have to say?"

"Wait a minute…" Zoro's eyes widened.

"Did you just say marines?!" Shrieked Usopp.

Nami nodded with a grim expression, "Sanji-kun and I saw the base about an hour into traveling. It wasn't until a little while later when we heard them running around the island. They managed to grab Chopper."

"Chopper?"

"Never mind that." Nami interrupted Zoro and Usopp before they could interrupt her any further with more questions. "We have to figure out a way to get him back, find Sakura, and get off the island in one piece."

Usopp dashed back and forth across the deck, searching adamantly for any sign of the marines nearby. It was a smart tactic, one that Nami could agree with, but apparently not the others. Zoro was still hearing a mouthful from Sanji and Luffy was-

"Guys, where's Luffy?"

The two stopped their fighting to see that their rubber captain had suddenly gone missing once again.

"When the hell did he find the time to get away?"

"What were you doing, woman? He was standing right next to you! How'd you let him get away."

"Don't blame me! Usopp's the one on the ship, he should have saw him a long time before me!"

"Hey, that's not my fault!"

This was a usual occurrence for the Mugiwara crew. They always managed to find the most inappropriate times to start an argument they struggle to get away from. After a few moments of going back and forth the crew stopped their bickering at the sound of metal clicks. They looked up, surprised to see they had been surrounded by the marines and their rifles.

"Stop right there!" A marine called out, removing himself from the rest of the marines. He seemed to be a higher officer, although his position seemed unclear. He was the only one not holding a rifle but a sword instead. He pointed at the crew, mainly the person the closest to him. Which happened to be Nami.

"You are all under arrest by the G-89 marine base!" He shouted, "If you resist we will not hesitate to shoot."

"Get your nasty hand out of Nami-san's fa-"

Sanji stopped as his body gave a full blown shiver. He ignored the slightly disturbed looks he got from those around him for he already knew what the issue was. Somewhere close by and not too far, a lady was in dire need of assistance.

_My senses are tingling, _Sanji thought to himself. _"Sakura-chan must be in danger."_

An explosion sounded not too long afterward, shaking the entire beach with its destruction. The crew could practically see where the commotion had started as a plume of smoke appeared in the sky. The marine officer began to laugh, completely unfazed by the sudden disturbance in the air.

"Did you hear that?" He said, "_That _would be Ensign Lee putting an end to your little friends."

"What'd you say?" Zoro growled, taking a menacing step forward. The officer didn't seem fazed.

"We saw them just moments before getting to you here. Your little pink haired spy is no match for one of our captain's students. She and your little pet will be put out in a matter of seconds."

Sanji had already stopped listening as he dashed forward. He jumped over the marine, easily dodging his a jab from his sword, and using his face to propel him over the large crowd of marines.

"Hey! Sanji, where the hell do you think you're going?" Usopp shouted after the blonde who never turned back and continued to run into the jungle.

"Sakura-chan is in danger, I can feel it!" Sanji cried, before disappearing. "Zoro, you better protect Nami-san or I'll kick you in the throat!"

Zoro snorted and turned away before the chef completely disappeared into the tree line. He pulled out his swords, but only two. There was no need to use all three for such a weak looking bunch.

"Stupid ero-chef. Always running off doing whatever he likes for the stupidest reasons." He grumbled.

"Why does everyone keep running off!? First you, then Luffy, now Sanji-kun too?!"

The first mate took another step forward and pointed his sword at the marines, ignoring the navigator's bickering. "Nami, get behind me."

"Sir, " A marine called to the head officer. "What do we do about the other one?"

"Leave him be. Ensign Lee will take care of him just like the rest. All we have to do is hold them off until he can get here."

"Should we call the captain, just in case?"

The head marine just shook his head, a triumphant smirk on his face. "The captain doesn't need to waste his energy on them. We'll handle them just fine."

* * *

_Sakura_

Sakura had seen shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags thrown at her many times in her life as a ninja. She had dodged many bullets since her life on the streets, stealing meals, and making cons in order to stay alive. There was nothing she couldn't maneuver her way out of when she put her mind to it. However, none of that managed to prepare her for dodging exploding floating hearts.

"Feel the power of my love, Sakura-san." Lee cried. "I'm sure it will change your ways."

"Never!"

A few minutes into the battle, Sakura was able to get used to dodging Lee's kisses. But now that they were getting faster and coming in multiples rather than just one, Sakura didn't know how long she would be able to keep up with dodging. She was using way too much chakra and was quickly beginning to feel the consequences for it.

She rolled left, dodging two kisses at a time, and used her kunai to slice through one that got too close. She didn't realize how bad of an idea that was until the kiss exploded right in front of her. Screaming in pain Sakura was thrown across the clearing, skidding to a halt through the dirt. Very faintly she could hear Chopper crying out to her but the repercussion from the explosion made it difficult for her to hear properly. It felt like Chopper was so far away but Lee seemed to be so much closer. He stood in front of Sakura, hand poised for another kiss.

"Please, Sakura-san. I do not wish to hurt you any longer. Please see the error of your ways."

"There is no error in protecting my friends." Sakura said with a glare. "I wont surrender."

"Sakura!" Chopper cried, "Just run! Leave me here!"

"No!" Sakura screamed in a panic but relaxed at the sight of Chopper's tears. She gave a small smile to the reindeer. "Stop worrying, I'll come get you soon."

Lee shook his head and lifted his hand away from his puckered lips. Just like she had seen so many times before, a small pink heart formed in the air and darted towards her. The urge to move had gotten even stronger than before, but her body refused to react. The only thing she can do was brace for impact and hope for the best.

"WAIT JUST ONE MINUTE!" Sanji's voice pierces through the intense silence. The blonde jumps from the trees and green shrubbery. Sakura had never seen the man look so barbaric with eyes sharp like daggers and nostrils flared like a raging bull. He was the perfect image of a man on a rampage. From his position in the air, Sanji cocks his leg back and sends Lee's kiss flying with a swift kick.

"H-He kicked it?" Lee's large eyes widened even more, frozen in surprise as his kiss was sent pass him and straight at the other marines. The heart piercing through the air and exploding right at the marines' feet. The destruction the kiss knocks several officers off their feet and onto the ground in a burnt heap.

Sanji kneeled down to Sakura's level and tugged her into his arms. He picked her up with very little effort, carrying her bridal style.

"Are you hurt, Sakura-chan?" He asks her in a deep voice. Sakura knows that's the voice he tries to use when he wants to be seductive. He's seen him do it countless times with Nami and he even tried with her, but stopped when he saw how flustered she had gotten.

Sakura stammers to reply, her heart hammering in her chest from how close he was to her. "I-I'm fine but can you put me down, please?"

"As you wish, milady." After placing Sakura to her feet, Sanji focused his attention on Lee. "And you, you shitty bastard. How dare you attack, Sakura-chan like that."

"It wasn't an attack." Lee said, without missing a beat. "It was meant to change her ways from your negative influence."

Sanji paused and looked at Sakura, "What the hell is he talking about?"

Sakura shook her head, "You really don't want to know."

"Who is he anyway?"

"Rock Lee." Sakura said, "The Ensign at the marine base stationed here."

"Sanji!" Chopper called from the other side of the clearing. "This guy was trying to kill Sakura with his kisses. Kick his ass!"

"Kiss?!" Sanji's eyes turned murderous. _"We've only been together for a few days and this guy, who we just met today, almost got a kiss from her? The nerve of this freak!"_

Sakura moved away as Sanji suddenly ignited into a fiery fit of rage. She couldn't see his eyes through the sudden flames but she knew they were still glaring at Lee.

"Sakura-chan?"

The pink haired girl flinched at her name, "Yes?"

"Could you do me a favor and get Chopper? I feel like I will be too busy with this guy to go after him right now."

Sakura nodded, despite her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach. Once again she was letting someone else handle all of the work and protect her. If Sanji hadn't been there at that exact time and moment, Sakura didn't know what would have happened to her. Why did she need so much help all of the time?

Lee jumped forward, intending to cut Sakura off from her course but Sanji reached her before he could. He swiped at Lee with his foot but the bowl haired Ensign dodged it with ease.

"You're getting in the way." Lee grumbled in annoyance.

"I could say the same thing about you. Don't touch Sakura-chan!"

Lee narrowed his dark eyes at the fiery chef, "You seem to really care for her."

"Of course." Sanji put his hands in his pockets and leaned on his heels. "No one will come between Sakura-chan and I. She doesn't know it but I can tell from the way she looks at me. Our love is eternal!"

Sakura paused in her running and glared at the chef. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Lee interrupt Sanji before he could respond. "I see. You love her as well?"

Sanji nodded and Lee answered with a nod of his own. "It seems I have gained a rival for Sakura-san's love." Lee stood up straight, squeezed his legs together, and placed one arm behind his back. The other arm was extending slightly towards Sanji. He flexed his fingers, beckoning Sanji closer.

The chef narrowed his eyes at the strange stance, "_That fighting style…."_

"Let us battle!" Lee shouted at the top of his lungs. "Who ever is left standing will be the rightful owner of Sakura-san's heart."

Sanji clicked his tongue and got into a fighting stance of his own. "Alright, I won't lose."

"I'm not some trophy!" Sakura yelled in the distance, but the two weren't listening, their battle had already begun.

* * *

_Luffy_

The moment he heard not one, but two, of his friends had been captured by the marines, Luffy couldn't stand to just sit and wait any longer. He was pretty sure he would get an earful from Nami about running off again but that was the least of his worries. He needed to find Chopper and Sakura before the marines could hurt them..

Unfortunately, as soon as he ran into the jungle again, Luffy instantly became lost. He didn't even know which way would take him back to the ship and the rest of the crew. Everything had looked exactly the same since he first arrived, and the more turns he made the deeper and deeper he went into the jungle. Now he couldn't tell if he was closer to Sakura and Chopper or in some totally different location.

Just as Luffy stopped in an unfamiliar clearing, he nearly lost his footing as the ground vibrated from an explosion. Luffy grinned in triumph, that had to have been where the others were. He knew his friends weren't the type to give up against the marines. And even in his short time of meeting Sakura, he could see the fire of determination in her eyes just like he had saw in the rest of his crew.

Luffy chuckled to himself, he really knew how to pick the best people to join his nakama. Now he just needed to figure out how he could get Sakura to join them without that unnecessary wait. For the moment, he would go see what kind of torment his crew was reeking on the marines.

The Straw Hat captain stretched his hands towards a sturdy looking tree. He lifted his feet from the ground and allowed his body to spring forward and cut through the air. At the height he reached, Luffy was able to see the entire island from above. He could easily point out the Going Merry still on the beach and the horde of marines running towards it. From the other direction, he noticed a rather large gated building, which could have only been the marine base stationed on the island. Luffy made sure to steer clear of that or he was sure Nami would murder him. Instead he directed his attention on the cloud of smoke permeating in the air.

"There they are!" He shouted with glee and sprung his hand at the closest tree he could reach. "Wait for me guys!"

* * *

_Sakura_

Sakura was running low on chakra reserves and her wounds from Lee's 'kisses' was starting to take a toll on her. Fortunately, she knew that these complications alone wouldn't be able to stop her from saving Chopper. The marines were weak in comparison to all of the ninja and people she had fought before. Even her dull kunai was enough to deflect the bullets they shot at her and strike them down when the marines got too close.

"Hold on, Chopper!" She called with a smile. "I'll get you out of there in no time."

"That's what you think." A dark haired marine jumped in Sakura's face, sword poised to go through her chest. Sakura countered it with her kunai and kicked the marine directly in between his eyes. Sakura jumped over the man as he fell, grabbing his sword as he fell unconscious. With the marine's own sword she struck two soldiers down at once. The only one that was left was the dark haired marine still holding Chopper.

"Let him go." Sakura said, dropping the marine's sword.

The marine smirked at her as he put a pistol to Chopper's head and pulled back the safety. "Yeah, right. You move one inch and I'll put a bullet through his furry little head."

There weren't many times Sakura had to deal with a hostage situation in her years as a Konoha ninja. Criminals did all they could and used any desperate measures to get away. And sometimes, they did at the cost of an innocent life. Unfortunately, Sakura couldn't save them all, she had to do what was necessary to complete her mission and duty to Konoha. But now that she was free from her position as Konoha ninja, Sakura vowed to never let it happen to Chopper. Gripping her kunai tightly in her hand, Sakura took a step, and vanished in thin air. The marine was unable to react fast enough as Sakura suddenly appeared above him. She landed on top of him, her feet pressed to his chest and her kunai pressed into his neck, daring him to make a move at the expense of his own head.

"Let go of him." She said, emerald eyes glaring down at him. The marine instantly dropped his arms, the fear radiating off of him in waves. Sakura stood up and tucked Chopper under her arm as he was still wrapped up in the rope.

"You okay, little guy?"

Chopper nodded and bit his lip to keep from crying. "Uh huh. Thanks for saving me, Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled at him in response and turned to Sanji still fighting with Lee.

"Wrap it up, Sanji-san. I've got Chopper!"

"You got it!" The chef cried, sending a round house kick to Lee's face but the younger boy dodged with enough time to spare a quick attack of his own.

"Sir, " Lee's wounded marine cried, "They're gonna get away! We should call the capt-"

"No!" Lee shouted, "Do not waste Captain Guy's time with such a ridiculous matter. I am the reason it even got this far and I plan to handle it on my own. Understood?"

"But sir-"

"Here I come!" Lee announced, sending a quick jab. Sanji easily deflected it with a kick of his own.

The two seemed evenly matched, countering each other blow for blow. Although it seemed like Lee had the upper hand, using both his hands and feet to fight. Sanji could only use his Black Feet Style to fight in order to protect his chef hands.

"You're very good." Lee said, "You make a formidable rival."

Sanji snorted at him and leaned away from a kick to his chest, "That's not a compliment coming from a little kid." Sanji bent over backwards as Lee lunged at him. He tucked his legs and then pressed off the ground, sending his feet into Lee's neck. "_Collier!" _

"Alright, Sanji!" Chopper cheered.

"Not yet."

Chopper looked up at the ninja in confusion." Huh?"

"He's not done just yet." Sakura said.

Lee straightened himself, brushing off the dirt he had collected on his marine vest. Then he shifted back into his fight stance, body completely straight.

"There's that strange fighting stance again." Sanji whispered.

Sakura nodded in response. "That's no ordinary fighting position."

Sanji looked at the ninja from the corner of his eye, "Then you noticed it too?"

"I should have expected that you would have thought about it sooner than later." Lee said, "Expected from such unique fighting styles you both possess."

"Sanji-san, please be careful!"

Sanji screamed with joy as he turned to Sakura, hearts in his eyes. "Yes, Sakura-chan! I promise I'll be careful." The chef glared at the other boy, "I won't lose to this snot nosed brat and his shitty moves."

"My 'moves' are not some joke." Lee said, never moving from his position. "This is the Strong Fist my master has taught me and took me many years to maswer. Do not look down on his teachings!"

Lee pitched forward. Without a trained eye he might have become completely invisible, but Sakura and Sanji could see him clearly. The only issue was Sanji didn't have the reaction time to keep up with him.

"_Great Leaf Hurricane!" _Lee shouted, kicking Sanji at his knees. The chef toppled over but collected himself in enough time to push off the ground and defend against a second kick to his stomach. The blow rattled him to the core, vibrating his bones painfully from where he protected himself. Sanji worried what kind of damage he would have suffered if the marine's kick had hit its target. He didn't have much time to think about it as Lee spun in the air and aimed a third kick to his head. Sanji bent over backwards, tightening his stomach to keep him suspended in the air. Almost as if he was expecting that, Lee turned again sending a devastating blow to Sanji's chest with his heel. The chef went down, hitting the ground so hard he was nearly buried into a rather large crater.

"Sanji!" Sakura and Chopper cried.

"_Such power.."_ Sanji thought. He didn't have the strength to talk as the air was wiped clear from his lungs. "_How did he deliver such a strong kick in such a short amount of time?"_

Lee removed his heel from Sanji's chest, staring down the chef with a blank stare. "A few of those blows should have shattered a few of your bones. But do not worry, you will be able to heal in a hospital for a few days before they send you to prison."

The green clad marine turned to Sakura, "If you do not surrender now, I will have no choice but to deal the same pain upon you."

"I'd like to see you try."

Lee began to move out of the crater, but before he could, a hand grabbed his legs. He stared at the culprit, surprise completely written over his strange face.

Sanji's grip on his leg turned painful. "You lay one finger on you and I will grate you with my feet."

An odd look of fear crossed Lee's face longer than Sakura would have expected, seeing as it was Sanji on the ground injured. When it looked like he was about to say something, he stopped at the disturbing sound he could hear in the distance. The longer he listened, the closer the noise suddenly became until he was able to identify it as a person's voice.

"_Gomu Gomu nooooo…."_

Chopper's eyes widened as he too heard the voice in the distance. He gazed up into the sky, squealing in joy as a familiar stretchy boy suddenly came into view. Sakura looked up as well after noticing Chopper's excitement and couldn't help but gaze in amazement as Luffy suddenly came shooting through the sky.

"_Pistol!" _

Luffy's stretched fist flew straight towards the unsuspecting marine. Unfortunately, he was fast enough to put his arms up and protect himself. The fist collided with his defending forearms, but the force dealt more damage than expected. Not only was Lee sent flying but so was Sakura and Chopper.

"Huh." Luffy grunted, "That was kind of scary."

"For who, you dumbass?" Sanji shouted, arching up to kick his captain in the head.

"I was only trying to protect you, Sanji. You're so ungrateful! That guy looked ready to kill you!"

"I'm not going to thank you for that! Because of your stupidity, you hit Sakura!"

"And me too!" Chopper cried, still wrapped up in the rope's hold, "Are you trying to knock me out again? Watch what you're doing, dumbass?"

The reindeer wiggled and fought against his restraints, his eyes white with fury. He tried to get loose but he stopped the moment someone grabbed him around the neck and held him in place. He couldn't see the person who grabbed him, but he knew it wasn't Sakura, Sanji or Luffy. He could clearly see them in front of him. There was only one person who could have been there.

"Lee!" Sakura cried, struggling to her feet. "Leave him alone."

The marine never spared her a glance. "Why? Why do you protect them?" He asked the girl. "They are pirates. They wouldn't do the same for you."

"Yes, they would!" Sakura shouted back. "You were a clear witness to Sanji-san protecting me, and Luffy protecting him! I told you before, not all people are as bad as they seem just because they hold the same title as other bad people. "

Lee hesitated for a moment and Sakura knew she had somehow gotten through to him.

"SIR!" The marine from earlier cried out. "I have notified Captain Guy."

"You did _what_?!"

Sakura leaped forward when she noticed Lee become distracted by his teammates call. She threw herself on top of Chopper, knocking away Lee's hand on him as a result. Then she placed her hands on either side of Chopper's body, pushing herself up to wrap her legs around Lee's neck and propel herself to sit on his shoulders. She leaned back, taking Lee with her until she was bent like a bridge. As her hands collided with the ground, she tightened her grip around Lee's head, pulled him over her, and sent his head straight through the ground.

Everyone went still, surprise evident on all their features as they stared in disbelief. There was no way the Ensign was capable of surviving that sort of trauma to the head, but Sakura didn't even look the least bit fazed that she had just 'killed' a man.

"I know you're not dead." Sakura said, although the person she was talking to had his head buried underneath the ground. "But I did want to say I apologize for using you to find my pirate of a friend. However, I will not apologize for defending them. I told you I wouldn't let them get hurt, even if it meant having to fight you."

Sakura stood up and grabbed Chopper. "You can't judge us all as the same."

With that said, she turned and ran towards her the blonde chef and the straw hat captain.

"Let's go guys!" She shouted to the two watching her in awe. "That attack will only leave him paralyzed for a few minutes. Let's get out of here before their captain shows up."

"Right away, my mistress!"

"Sakura!" Luffy bellowed, "That was so cool! You have to teach me how to do that!"

"Now's not the time, idiot! Head to the ship!" Sakura punched the boy, sending him flying in the direction she ran. She didn't have to worry about him keeping up with her as Sanji grabbed him in mid-air and continued after the pink haired ninja.

"After them!" Marines shouted, "Don't let them get away!"

"Where is the captain!? He should have been here by now."

"It doesn't matter, get them before they can get off the island."

The marines all ran forward, forgetting their injuries and picking up their discarded weapons to chase after the pirates and Sakura. Not one bothered to stop for their Ensign, choosing to leave him there instead in silence. He had to have sat there for a few moments until the presence of another arrived. He didn't need to pull his head out of the ground to know it was Guy.

"How long do you plan on faking like your still paralyzed?"

"Until the spirits of youth take my soul for my unbelievable stupidity."

Guy shook his head at his student, so many years with the boy and he still managed to surprise every day. "Guy-sensei?"

The older man looked down but did not respond. "Was I wrong for my actions?"

"Human beings are wrong for many things, Lee. We easily make mistakes nearly every day." He said, "It's what you do after those mistakes that defines you as a person."

The smaller Ensign was quiet for a moment, "One last question."

"Yes?"

"Do you know anything about a village called Konoha?"

* * *

Zoro

Zoro heaved a sigh as he watched the navigator pace back and forth in front of him. She was worried, like they all were, anxious to see their nakama and Sakura arrive safely. Zoro silently berated himself for not including her in the same category as his friends. At this point, Sakura might as well have been considered their nakama for risking her life to protect one of their own. He could tell with his eyes alone that Nami had already developed a sweet spot for the pink haired girl. She was like the younger sister she never had, in place of the sister she left at her home island. In the short time they had known her, the pink haired girl and her mysterious and dark past had opened a sensitive spot in all of them. It'd be a miracle if any of them would let her get away from them now, ready or not. Luffy knew what he wanted and they were more than willing to see it through.

"Where are they?" Nami said irritably. "It's taking them way too long."

"Calm down." Zoro said, "I'll give them a few minutes and if they're not here, I'll go looking."

"NO!" Nami shouted, "You aren't going anywhere!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll just get lost again and then what will we do?"

Zoro gestured to the motionless pile of marines that was scattered across the beach. It had only taken him two swords and two minutes to defeat them all. "Ill just cut down anyone else that gets in my way, just like I did them."

"Cutting people and knowing where you are going are two different things, Zoro!"

"Hey, guys!" They could hear Luffy screaming, putting an end to their fighting before it truly could begin. They turned, bright smiles on their face that instantly disappeared at the sight of the marines trailing behind their missing friends. Luffy was in the front, bright teeth and wide smile as he ran, down the beach towards them. Sanji was behind him, smiling with hearts in his eyes at whatever Sakura was saying to him as she thrust a restrained Chopper into his arms. Then she stopped and turned to run back in the direction of the marines.

"What is she doing!?" Nami cried.

But Zoro knew not to panic, the look of determination on her face was nothing to laugh at. Sakura was going to do something crazy and he needed to make sure they were out of the way when it happened. He grabbed Nami's wrist and threw her onto the ship. She flew through the air, screaming as she collided with Usopp on the deck.

"Zoro what the hell are you doing! You could have killed me!"

The swordsman didn't acknowledge her anger as he jumped on the ship himself. He turned back just in time to see Sakura standing completely still in front of the running marines.

Sakura took a deep breath and released it heavily as she stood in a crouching position, fists clenched at her sides.

_"Sasuke, Naruto, I know I have met some pretty amazing people since I have left Konoha." _Sakura thought to herself, ignoring the rumbling that was the marines footsteps.

_"In comparison to them, I feel like I do not match. However,-"_ Sakura jumped in the air, fueled by chakra in her feet. She dodged bullets and a sword to the neck with such elegance and grace that surprised many of them to just stop and stare.

_"I refuse to sit around and just let them get too far ahead of me, like you both did. I wont fail my friends anymore and be the only who needs help and protection. This time will be different because I can be just amazing as them all." _Sakura let herself fall to the ground, just over the group of marines that had collected beneath her. During her decent she could feel the chakra rippling through her and gather into her hand. The power thriving inside of her, raised her heartbeat, and fueled her body to send a explosive blow into the ground. "_This time I'll protect them all!"_

_"Cherry Blossom Impact!"_

The ground rippled around her, breaking and shattering at the marine's feet. The force of the blow knocked them off their feet, scrambling to get away from the crater that had suddenly been created. Sakura also jumped away, watching them struggle with a satisfied smile.

"Sakura!" Luffy called to her. She turned, nearly a few feet from the ground when she saw that Luffy's outstretched hand was in front of her. "Let's get out of here!"

The pink haired girl chuckled and took the extended hand, giving a slight yelp as she was suddenly tugged forward. She panicked when she realized that Luffy had pulled her in way too fast but didn't seem to be able to slow down her arrival. She grunted as she crash landed into the awaiting crew, knocking them all into the deck with a loud thump. She laughed as many members of the crew jumped in her face, all talking and asking her questions at the same time.

"I didn't know you could do that!"

"As expected of such a courageous and valiant lady!"

"You looked so cool!"

"Let's get out of here first!" Nami shouted over all the commotion, "Set the sails, raise the anchor already! Someone take the damn helm!"

Scrambling to obey their navigator's commands, Sakura watched as the crew ran to their positions. Just as quickly as they had set sail earlier that day, the crew was set and ready to go in just a matter of minutes. The pink haired girl couldn't help but smile at the sight of it all. Only a few moments ago, she was in danger of never getting this view again. But here they were, safe and sound, ready to take off yet again.

From the corner of her she noticed that Luffy had yet to leave her side. Still tucked somewhat underneath her after her crash landing on the ship. He gave her bright smile when he noticed her looking at him. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Sakura couldn't contain her laughter. "Yeah, that was pretty cool."

_"This time I will get it right."_

* * *

_You finished it! I'm sorry it was so long, I think I should have separated it into three parts instead of just two. Anyway, question time!_

**_Character Personality: _**_Getting the character's personalities has to be the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I apologize if anyone seemed OC, I'm trying! Anyway, obviously Sakura will be a little out of tune with her canon but eventually she will go back to the criteria. Please be patient. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS KEY._

**_G-89: _**_So you understand Lee and Guy's story now. Well, mainly Lee's but Guy's will come later. Understand that I altered Lee's heart kiss thing that he used on Sakura when they first met. I thought that was pretty comical and still wanted that piece of the canon in ROTF. If you're confused just think of it as one of the many quirky and strange abilities some of the One Piece characters have. I thought it would really fit the theme of One Piece. _

_Twenty bucks to anyone that can guess why I named the base G-89. _

**_Spoiler: _**

_"So this is really goodbye?"_

_"Are you seriously crying? Haha! I knew you weren't really worth killing the last time I saw you."_

_"I won't hide from this anymore. I have to do something. They would have wanted me to do something."_

_"These dreams I have been having. They're turning into nightmares, terrors that I can break free from anymore. It's scaring me."_

_"You're selfish! You have to be because you're only human, Sakura. And in the end that will be what kills you. You're own selfishness!"_

_"I'm so sorry. Please, don't ever forget me."_

**_PLEASE REVIEW!_**


End file.
